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EUROPE 



FROM MAY 10 DECEMBER 



BY 



RUDOLPH WILLIAMS 




'hni 



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CHICAGO 

E. A. WEEKS & COMPANY 
521-531 Wabash Avenue 



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THE LIBRARY 
or CONGRESS 

WASHINGTON 



COPYRIGHT 1895 
By RUDOLPH WILLIAMS 



PREFACE. 



The object in writing these letters was not for publication. 
Wanting to have a journal of the things we would do, and the 
things we would see, and our impressions of them, and wanting 
to keep our relatives and friends advised of our itinerary and 
doings, this form of numbered letters was adopted. 

The purpose was served, in that the journal is complete and 
truthful, and the letters, having been passed from house to house, 
and from friend to friend, afforded several of them the possi- 
bility of mentally following in our route. The proposed dis- 
tribution of some printed copies is to supply a popular demand 
which does not exist. 

For the very essential aid which was received, and without 
which the object could not have been accomplished, thanks are 
due to the very efficient International Postal Service, for promptly 
delivering each of the fifty semi-weekly letters, as addressed, 
and not least, by any means, to the dear relative who, with 
untiring care, followed them during their many changes, and 
finally placed the complete package in our hands. 

Many of those who will glance into the volume are qualified 
to point out its literary demerits, and the failure as a journal. 
To save them the trouble of criticism, we ask them to remember 
that they are reading Unpublished Private Letters. 

If by any chance the story falls under the observation of 
literary critics, to them the writer says, " Oh ! I have already 
rejected the thing ; " hence, if they should become interested, 
to them would fall the burden of proof. To all the writer 
offers these truisms. Personal freedom reigns. You are not 
compelled to read any of the book, and if it should fall into 
your possession, you may place it among other dummies in some 
imaginary library. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 



LETTER I. 

« 

Southampton, yi?/«^j^, 1894. 

A COUPLE of hours after the midday meal Friday, there 
became visible from the deck of the steamer a plain white 
column, which seemed to rise out of the sea straight ahead of 
us. The mariners knew immediately that it was Lizard Light- 
house, situated on one of the most extreme western points of 
the Island of England. For nine days our ship had followed 
its unmarked course, that column being the first objective point, 
and as we neared it, we were all impressed with the faithfulness 
and correctness of those who had presided over the' actions of 
the great ship, and our then ending successful voyage. 

For an hour we watched the white column grow into view, 
and then went below to dinner. On returning to the deck, we 
saw to our left, high, rocky land quite near to us — Scilly Island. 
Then again night came on, and we were once more in open sea, 
with land invisible. Soon, however, we were passing lighthouses, 
and signaling the ship's name, and when midnight came, we 
were in the English Channel, and were experiencing the rough- 
est part of our voyage ; the ship tossed more than at any other 
time. Morning found us pushing our way up the English Chan- 
nel, with lighthouses in the distance about us, and land in the 
dim distance. 

Soon we found ourselves in quiet water, with the beautiful 
green lands, and houses, and towns of the Isle of Wight near us. 

Ten-thirty found us in Southampton water, rapidly nearing 
the city, when finally the good ship Chester dropped her lines 

5 



6 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

on the quay at exactly eleven o'clock, one hour less than twenty- 
one days after she had lifted her ropes and started on the round 
trip then ended. Now, Sunday, she is well under way again, 
bound for New York, having rested at her dock twenty-seven 
hours. 

To disembark and pass the Customs officers was the work of 
a very short time. Five minutes from the time our feet pressed 
the dock our baggage had been passed, and we were foreigners, 
subject to the laws and conditions of Her Majesty's Govern- 
ment. 

Immediately at hand, in a place set apart for them, we found 
a cluster of barrow-men, as we found they were called — men 
with trucks, having two wheels, which they use to deliver bag- 
gage. They were all men apparently well along in years, bent 
and irregular. To one of them we gave our baggage and started 
for Radley's Hotel, where we are now domiciled. 

As we walked along toward the hotel, the train bound for 
London and bearing our ship's passengers steamed past us, and 
from all the windows of the coaches we had waves of hats and 
handkerchiefs. Twelve o'clock, noon, found us located at 
Radley's. As we registered, the." woman presiding at the desk 
said, "We give you room number twenty-one ; six shillings per 
day for two, and attendance one and six additional,'' which 
means, in the American language, two and one-quarter dollars 
per day for our room. 

As I said in my former letter, so it turned out, viz., *'that an 
application of British soil to my feet would cure all the ills." 
So it did. The headache all went immediately ; the legs be- 
came firm and certain, and the spirit of ejection and rejection, 
which had so long held masterful sway over the stomach, im- 
mediately fled, and was replaced by one whose ruhng inclina- 
tion was to possess. I think my partner has not felt such im- 
mediate and thorough relief, for even to-day she has had some 
dizziness. On getting located at Radley's, we started out to do 
England, and soon found ourselves in High Street, the princi- 
pal one of the town. To satisfy the desire to possess, which 
had become located internally, we stopped at a restaurant, 
and very comfortably lunched for what would be fifty-four 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. / 

American cents ; as John Bull would say, " two and tup- 
pence." 

We soon came to a massive stone arch, covering High Street, 
and located well down in the town. It dates from the eleventh 
century, and is of Norman construction. It is a remnant of 
the wall which, in those old days, encircled what is now the 
densely populated portion of the cit} . This arch is high and 
massive, the upper portion being used for the police court 
and magistrates' offices, and the wings for the city prison. 
The officer in charge called an attendant and directed him to 
show us about the place, which he proceeded to do with much 
formality. Cautiously he led us through winding stone corri- 
dors and up narrow stairs, and quietly, with uncovered head, 
opened a door, and we entered — where do you suppose? The 
dignity and caution with which all this was done, we don't, or 
did not, understand, for we found ourselves in the then de- 
serted police court. Following the example of our leader, I 
had doffed my hat, and expected to see, possibly, a Norman 
king broiling and eating a few Britons. 

In an adjoining room we were met pleasantly and politely by 
a nice, white-haired, little man, quite like our own Hilliard, who 
said if we were looking for the antiquities, he was one of the 
most important. We had a pleasant chat with the old gentle- 
man who, when we told him we were Americans, asked us 
many questions and impressed us as one whom we would like 
to meet often. Our attendant said, " He is the chief dark of 
the Quarterly Sessions, sir." 

By a long, narrow, steep stairway we reached the top, or roof 
of the arch, and had a fine view of the city, the harbor, and the 
surrounding country. On returning to the entrance, and drop- 
ping a sixpence in the open hand of the attendant, we pro- 
ceeded to tramp on. 

We viewed several quite considerable remnants of the old 
wall which, in places, forms parts of houses, and being back 
again into High Street, we walked out towards the outskirts of 
the town, and passed through three very pretty parks. There 
is not in them much floral display, save the beautiful flowering 
trees, hawthorn, and others. I have not seen anything to equal 



8 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

the hawthorn and the rhododendrons. Magnificent as the dis- 
play was of rhododendrons in the little house on the Wooded 
Island, it was babyishly insignificant compared with what may 
be seen here. 

One cluster I will try to describe : — The highest point being 
in the middle fully ten feet high ; the shape being round and 
about fifteen feet in diameter, while the flowers came dovrn to 
within one and a half feet of the earth ; the whole being so 
finely cultivated and cared for that the effect was as one im- 
mense flower supported by one central stem or standard. 
Cluster after cluster of these beautiful things in varied colors, 
many of them covering spaces say, as large as a small build- 
ing lot. To write an adequate description of their loveliness is 
simply impossible. 

If possible, the hawthorn is more beautiful. I must study 
it more. 

The parks contain fine monuments and statues, among them 
one of Lor4 Palmerston^ who once lived and was a local offi- 
cial here. We trudged on to the edge of the city, and came to 
the country, the sides of the avenues along which we had 
walked being lined with beautiful vine-covered homes. The 
trees ! The trees ! All the way, at least two miles that we 
walked, we were covered with magnificent oak and elm trees; 
and so they continued out into the country as far as sight could 
carry. Many of them, by their regularity of position, showing 
that they were once planted by man and now grown to be great 
forest trees. 

W^e came to Southampton Common, a large open park. In 
speaking of parks, as I have done above, they being in the city, 
I don't want the understanding to exist that they are small 
affairs, for they are not. I should say that the three parks re- 
ferred to contain at least a hundred acres, which, being located 
in a ciiy of sixty thousand people, must not be thought to be 
insignificant at all. 

Southampton Common, a great open common, covered with 
grass and the magnificent trees described above, is devoted to 
the pleasure of the people, and yesterday being Saturday there 
were many evidences of the way it is enjoyed. There were 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 9 

men, women, and children, cricket and other games, a battalion 
of infantry drilling. It certainly was a place of pleasure. 

On our return tramp we diverged to visit a cemetery — a place 
of very closely laid graves, plain tombstones, the beautiful 
flowering trees and rhododendrons mentioned in another place, 
and quantities of creeping vines. Two pretty chapels are 
there, too, where services may be held by burial parties, if they 
so desire. 

About five-thirty p. m. found us back at the hotel, having 
walked about seven miles, ready for dinner which we heartily 
enjoyed. We retired about nine o'clock and never slept more 
sweet sleep. 

Before retiring I went to the hotel desk — there is not any 
office — to make inquiry about baths. I found a man in charge, 
who asked, " Do you want a bawth in the bawth-room, sir, or a 
hip-bawth in your own room, sir ? " I told him we would have 
a hip-bawth in our own room, sir, about eight o'clock. Promptly 
at eight o'clock the maid appeared with bath tub, towels, plenty 
of hot water and all things necessary for the bawths. It was all 
very English and very nice. 

Sunday a. m. my partner said she would not go to the break- 
fast room, but would take some bread and milk in her own room. 
It proved entirely satisfactory. The writer went to the break- 
fast-room and ate a mutton chop and rolls, and drank poor 
coffee. We have heard that you cannot get good coffee in 
England and wonder if it will prove true. 

Saint Michael's Church, where we found ourselves, is evi- 
dently so old that its dates are lost. The baptismal font dates 
from the twelfth century, and there are other antiquities about 
it. Built of large, uncut, shapeless stones, and having a very 
large, high, and massive stone spire ; it stands with what 
should be the rear end to the street, without any door in sight 
as you approach it. To enter you pass by the side in a kind of 
narrow street or alley, and find the entrance from a court at the 
opposite, or end from the street on which it stands. There is 
not the slightest evidence of any attempt at ornamentation, the 
same rough walls being inside that are seen outside. No 
plastering, no pictures, no woodwork. An occasional plain 



10 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

rough tablet, bearing an inscription, but all rough and plain, if 
not even beggarly plain. Stone floor and plain uncovered 
wooden seats. The service was the plain and simple service of 
the Church of England, with surpliced choir, all of which being 
intoned in a tone that I did not understand, and pronounced in 
such strongly accented English that it was almost entirely un- 
intelligible, to me of course it was very instructive and interest- 
ing ; but we went to church all the same. 

Netley Abbey, a relic of Henry the Third and the thirteenth 
century, is represented by fine well preserved ruins, and dis- 
tant from the City, on the shore of the Itchan River, three to 
four miles. The hotel porter, who was undoubtedly interested 
with the cab-men, said promptly, " Four good long miles, sir ; 
fare seven shillings, sir. You cawnt possibly walk it, sir, hes- 
pecially the lady, sir." Well, we did walk it, just the same, and 
enjoyed it immensely. The road wound along close to the 
shore, the tide being out, we had between us and the water a 
very slightly declining beach several hundred yards wide, while, 
on the other side, we had beautiful grass, great forest and flower- 
ing trees, homes grand and fine, and homes plain and modest, 
all covered with vines and flowers and showing the most 
scrupulous care and orderliness. 

The day was lowering and cloudy, but the temperature was 
perfect. My partner wore her rain cloak and I my overcoat, 
and we both carried unbrellas, but it did not rain ; and as we 
returned from three-thirty to five o'clock, we had some sun- 
shine. 

As we went, we passed a modest little inn, and decided that 
on our return trip we would stop there for dinner. On we went, 
and we saw ahead of us on the beach a cluster of say eight 
people, and presently came dashing past us, from the city, a 
wagon containing two officers, the driver, and some stretchers. 
They stopped and alighted at the little group of people, and 
when we came up we found the object of their attention to be 
the body of a woman that had been deposited on the beach and 
left there by the outgoing tide. Then we saw in actual life a 
representation of Reinhart's picture, which was in the gallery 
in the Exposition, — Washed Ashore. There were the officers 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. II 

making notes, the little group of people, the sea, and all perfect. 
We have not learned any particulars, but I think the death was 
caused by murder, as the head looked to me to have been 
crushed. 

We sauntered on and finally came to the ruins, where we 
stayed, strolling about and looking at them for an hour. 
They are interesting and well cared for and belong to Lord 
Chamberlain, who has a keeper there and who collects a six- 
pence each, sir. Near by are Netley Castle, an old private home 
with grand park and trees, and on the hill, covered with trees 
and vines, is the present pretty Netley Church, which we went 
into and inspected. 

On our return we found that the body of the woman that we 
had seen, spoken of above, had been taken to the little inn, 
which we had passed and at which we had planned to dine. 
My partner never lets an opportunity slip, and by inquiring 
learned that the law of the land requires, that a found body must 
be taken to the nearest public house, where the inquest must be 
held. We did not dine at the little inn, but trudged on back to 
the city. 

On our return trip we diverged from the main road to see 
some thatched roofs and flower-surrounded cottages. They are 
not only in the stories, but they exist. They are very interest- 
ing, and their flower-beds are all that are said of them. At five 
o.'clock we had returned, and soon after were enjoying, 
heartily indeed, a good dinner. 

To-day, Monda}^, we have seen some more pieces of the old 
wall, and more of the old gates, have read inscriptions telling 
us of old battles, have done some little shopping, and are pre- 
paring to go away from here. 

To-morrow we go by coach to Lyndhurst in the New Forest, 
an old Royal hunting demesne, and possibly one of the best 
specimens of English forests. 

Will leave nearly all of our baggage here, and will be about 
here, at Salisbury, Winchester, and the Isle of Wight for a week 
or ten days ; thence to London. 



12 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 



LETTER II. 

Southampton, June 4M, 1890. 

We have just returned from a final stroll through the streets 
of the town. We bought some photographic views of some of 
the scenes, of which I wrote in No. i. This time we had 
learned of, and went to see, the house of Anne Boleyn, the 
second wife of the delectable old monarch, whom all good 
Catholics are sure is, and ever will be, broiling. It is situated on 
the opposite side of the court, from the entrance to St. Michael's 
Church, where we attended service yesterday. 

We made a thorough tour of several of the streets devoted to 
shops of all grades. I made a study of prices, mentally com- 
paring them with those quoted, for the very same articles, in 
protection-protected Chicago. For articles of food I conclude 
that the prices average higher than they do in Chicago, while 
for manufactured goods I cannot conclude that there is any 
difference, except that I believe the goods displayed in the shop 
windows in Chicago are of better quality, for corresponding 
prices, than here. 

Here are a few prices : — Pork chops, fourteen cents; sirloin 
roast, sixteen cents ; butter, sixteen and twenty-two cents ; 
eggs, seventeen cents ; new potatoes, good quality, ninety 
cents ; bacon, twelve cents ; ham, fifteen cents ; sugar, good 
quality, four cents ; cheese, fourteen and sixteen cents ; laborer's 
shoes, one dollar and seventy-five cents per pair, and higher. 
Of the shoes, I will say, that the low-priced kinds could not be 
sold in Chicago at all. They are too coarse and common. 
Laborer's underwear, the cheapest and commonest kind-eighty- 
iive cents per piece, and higher. In other lines of men's wear- 
ing apparel, shirts, ties, collars, cuffs, etc., I cannot discover 
any difference in prices from those displayed in the windows 
in Chicago, while I believe that the goods shown in Chicago 
are of better quality. In men's ready-made clothing I believe 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. . 1 3 

this same condition exists. This particular thing, in fact all of 
the above, I shall study more. 

Right here, in tht gateway to England, it seems to me that 
there are evidences that the laborer gets more for his money in 
Chicago than he does for the same amount here. It begins to 
look as though protection cheapens everything but wages, but 
we will not decide yet. 

One thing I cannot yet understand, and that is the apparent 
comfort and thrift of the people we see, — all classes. We have 
been in all grades of residence-streets in this city, and have care- 
fully considered the residents. We have not seen barefoot, 
ragged children, or miserably dressed working-people. I have 
seen many American cities on Sunday, and don't hesitate to 
write that the condition of the people we saw yesterday, Sun- 
day, was superior in dress and orderliness than in many of our 
cities. This impresses me so forcibly I am compelled tore- 
cognize it, and don't understand it. How is it possible for the 
driver of a cab, whose wages are three dollars a week, to dress 
his children and care for his home as we see them here? Of 
course they have their tips ; without which they could not live ; 
but suppose the tips double the amount, making his receipts six 
dollars per week, still, how is it possible ? 

To-day, while prowling around looking at parts of the old 
wall, among the poor people the children we saw were better 
clad, cleaner, and more comfortable looking than they would be 
in corresponding localities in American cities. One place in 
particular, where we went to see the old West Gate and Tower, 
now the homes of poor people ; to go up the old stone steps 
we were compelled to displace a cluster of children who lived 
in the quarters above, and we remarked on their good clothes 
and cleanliness. This may not be the rule in England, but it 
is here in Southampton, and it surprises us. 

Before returning to the hotel this evening, we went to the 
office of the coach to see about our trip to the New Forest, in- 
tended for to-morrow. We found the superintendent, or pro- 
prietor, of the coach, whichever he may be, to be a man of 
business, and, in his ow^n estimation and the appreciation of his 
place in the world, of considerable importance. We found him 



14 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

in a little bake-shop, where they sell penny cakes and a glass of 
milk, if you want it, located in a house, as his hand-bill informs 
you, in which Doctor Watt wrote many of the hymns which we 
all sing. 

My partner was particular that we should have front seats in 
the coach, which Mr. Page said we could have, as we happened 
to be the first applicants. Later in the season, though, they 
charge more for those seats. " Yes, after getting the people 
from the Isle of Wight boat, the coach would pick you up at 
Radley's at promptly ten minutes to eleven, and would we be 
ready on time ? " Three-and-six each the round trip ; which 
means, in United States language, eighty-seven and a half cents 
or about. On leaving the little shop, I said to my partner that I 
would bet her one of the little jam tarts inside that we would be 
the only passengers on the coach. 

Lyndhursty June 5th : — Lyndhurst is the capital of the New 
Forest. 

The coach, promptly as expected, picked us up at Radley's, 
but it did not have the Isle of Wight passengers. There were 
not any. We had four good horses, a good driver, and a good 
horn-blower, and dashed up through the city to the several 
halting places, but did not get any more passengers. Besides 
ourselves the only passenger on the coach, which would easily 
carry thirty-five, was a white fox-terrier dog, who shortly mani- 
fested his desire to be let down, which being granted, he occupied 
himself in running by the side of the horses, and frequently 
dashing in and about the little homes and cottages and stirring 
up other dogs and poultry. 

The day has been cloudy and cool, perfect for our business. 
How can I describe our coach ride of ten miles to this, the 
center of the New Forest ! The road is not as wide as are 
public roads in America, but it is as perfect a roadway as are 
our boulevards. The road, as all appear in this country, is 
quite crooked and is through undulating land, hence has some 
considerable little hills. The first two or three miles being 
through the outskirts of the city, Southampton, we were of 
course surrounded by homes of the city people, which, in many 
instances, were cottages with thatched roof and covered with 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. I 5 

vines and flowers. Many large houses, for instance large square 
houses like the homes on the Lake Shore Drive, will be so 
hidden with ivy and other vines as to render it almost impossible 
to see any of them but the windows, doors, and roof. 

Finally we left the city and district pertaining to it, and were 
in the farming country. How beautiful ! How beautiful ! In 
its perfection of cultivation ! Hedges line the roadway and 
divide the farms into fields. There is not any unproductive 
land, unless it be a private or public park, or the fine grounds 
surrounding a home. The numberless acres that we constantly 
pass, devoted to nothing but pleasure, and to look beautiful, are 
a constant surprise to me. 

The beauty, at this time, of the farm fields is indescribable. 
I could not help constantly exclaiming to my partner about it. 
I thought of some of our friends, as we rolled past a field filled 
with several kinds of clover, daisies, buttercups, dandelions, and 
grass. Beautiful ! beautiful ! Yet this is not an evidence of 
very rich soil, but quite the contrary. 

Each mile or two brought us to a country inn, little store, and 
smithy. About would be generally standing a donkey or pony- 
cart or two, and likely a stylish dog-cart or two, on which John 
would sit straight and stiff waiting for his master, who would 
be inside having something. Finally, in the edge of the Forest, 
we stopped at The John Barleycorn Inn. We alighted and 
looked about. In the little tap-room, say eight by ten feet, sat 
about eight young Englishmen talking and drinking ale. Their 
talk was of the hounds, the forest, and horses. Having dis- 
covered that it is the custom for passengers to see that the 
coach does not pass the John Barleycorn with thirsty attend- 
ants, I tried our driver and footman, and they promptly re- 
sponded, as true Englishmen never fail to do. In a few minutes 
after, when I saw the old driver extinguishing his second glass of 
Scotch whisky, I felt a little concern about the outcome of our 
coaching trip, which, as driver, largely rested with him ; but 
when we were again seated and were bowling along through the 
forest, I saw he was entirely himself, and entirely unruffled by 
any such little thing as two glasses of whisky. 

What the status of the forest is now I intend to learn and 



l6 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

will tell you later on. The Governor, as he is called, lives here, 
and we were informed that for a small fee we would be told all 
about it. Originally there were one hundred and forty square 
miles in the royal hunting-ground, now, we are informed, it is 
reduced, by cultivated land, to ninety square miles. 

The four miles of the forest, through which we passed before 
arriving here, is almost entirely timbered land. There are oc- 
casionally country seats, but generally the road winds through 
forest trees. Oak, fir, and beech seem to be the predominat- 
ing kinds. From the size and kind of trees I should say the 
average age to be about seventy-five years, though there are fre- 
quently oaks that have seen certainly two hundred winters. 
While the oaks are not tall, and all have the appearance of hav- 
ing been topped in their youth, I am of the opinion that the 
New Forest, as far back as is known, has been timbered land, 
and not, as there are things to indicate, once cultivated land. 
The fir trees resemble much the yellow pine of Virginia and 
the Carolinas, and the combination of wood being, as I said, fir, 
beech and oak, we were frequently reminded of forest scenes in 
Virginia. 

Finally, at one-thirty, with great flourish of whip and team, we 
rolled into this little old town, and with a special blast of the 
horn stopped at the Fox and Hounds Inn. 

Lunch was ready. What was it .? Well, I will tell you : — cold 
lamb, a salad made of lettuce and radishes, excellent indeed, 
new potatoes, bread and butter and pickles. To drink — any- 
thing you might want. All very good and bountiful. We took 
the bountiful part of it. 

On inquiring where we could walk to and use the afternoon, 
we decided on Brockenhurst, a small village distant four 
miles, and we started at two-thirty. The road again was per- 
fect and lined with forest trees and the thifigs of the forest 
nearly all the way. We met with few people or vehicles and 
saw but few evidences of civilization, except as before occa- 
sionally away from the road we would see the towers and chim- 
neys of a country home. We saw many small horses and their 
colts, which breed and continually live in the forest. I intend 
to learn to whom they belong. While they are common, rough 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 1/ 

Stock, they are horses all the same, and there being thousands 
of them, have much value. 

We found Brockenhurst a typical English village, had a short 
rest there, and took up our tramp back here, where we arrived 
at exactly six o'clock, having walked the eight miles comfort- 
ably in two and a half hours. In describing these things, I must 
not fail to do justice to the forest songsters, the birds. They 
are ever with us in great and new varieties, that is new to us. 
The cuckoo is constantly sending forth his peculiar call, and 
constantly the concert goes on. 

Wedfiesday^ June 6th : — To-day our march was laid for Beau- 
lieu Abbey, pronounced Bewley, and the village of the same 
name adjoining. We ordered a plain English breakfast for seven 
o'clock. A plain English breakfast is without meat. We had 
bread and butter, sauce, and milk. At seven-thirty, before many 
people were stirring in the little town, we started and have had 
a day rich indeed in experience that we will remember. 

" Take the road straight to the green at the foot of the vil- 
lage, sir, and take the road to the right at the sign-board, and 
keep straight to Bewley, sir." Immediately on taking the road 
to the right at the sign-board, we found ourselves on a heather- 
covered hill and could see the road winding up and down over 
open, timberless hills miles ahead of us. Immediately, all about 
us on the hillsides, we were surrounded by numberless hares, 
one of the great English game animals. They are quite like 
our gray rabbit, but several times larger. They live in the 
ground in burrows in the heather fields, and our early ap- 
pearance disturbed them while they were getting their break- 
fasts. They eat grass, and in the early morning and night come 
out of their homes to feed. The heather grows so abundantly 
that it nearly takes possession of the land, leaving little room 
or chance for the grass. Along the road, however, where the 
driving and walking, and the care of the roadway keeps down 
the heather, the grass grows, and there the hares feast. They 
were in pairs, in families, and in flocks, numberless indeed. As 
we came along, they scampered off and disappeared in the 
ground. It is the time of year that they are protected, hence 
they are safe. 

2 



1 8 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

In some places in America they have an animal which is 
called hare and is sold in the Chicago market on South Water 
Street, but it is not the same, not as large, and quite white in 
color. 

To see these heather hills was very interesting to me, as I 
have read and heard so much about them. Among other stories 
came to my mind " White Heather," by William Black, and 
of which the scene is laid in Scotland. The hero of the story, 
Roland, being required, in the performance of his duty as 
game-keeper, to spend much of his time on the heather-covered 
hillsides. The scene seemed so much like what I had pictured 
the one in the story it almost seemed familiar. 

For five miles we tramped over those heather hills and did 
not see a human being, save two men who were working in a 
gravel-bed not far from the road, and another, whom we saw at 
some distance, apparently laboring. There was no timber dur- 
ing the distance, and frequently, in fact much of the time, we 
could not see a habitation. From the highest point we made a 
careful survey, being able to see for miles, and could see but 
one dwelling. The last two miles was through the beautiful 
timber, and as we neared Beaulieu, we were again surrounded 
with the hedges, cottages, occasionally fine homes and roses — 
all absolutely impossible to describe. We are constantly ex- 
claiming " beautiful ! " 

Exactly as the sweet-toned clock, in the tower over the port- 
er's lodge of Montague Castle, chimed the hour of ten, we 
strolled into Beaulieu, took seats in the Montague Arms, and 
directed the rosy-cheeked bar-maid to give us ale. We were 
two and a half hours marching the seven miles. We rested a 
few minutes, and after ordering lunch to be prepared for us at 
eleven o'clock, we went to see the Castle and ruins of the Ab- 
bey, both quite near to the inn. 

The Abbey was founded by King John in 1204, and was a 
monastery until it was destroyed under Henry VIII., after 
which it became the property of the Earl of Southampton. The 
castle and estate adjoining the Abbey ground is now the prop- 
erty and one of the homes of Lord Montague. A portion 
of the present castle was the Abbot's home, while the monas- 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 1 9 

tery existed. We were not in the castle, but had a good view 
of it and the grounds. It is a single stone building, consider- 
ably larger I should say than any of the large homes in Chicago, 
situated in beautiful grounds and park, prettily surrounded by 
water. 

The Abbey is a fine ruin, and I should think must have been 
very large. The roof over a portion of it is still intact and 
supported by the original wooden rafters made of Spanish 
chestnut. 

The church belonging to the Abbey is all gone, the stone 
having been taken to build Hurst Castle, some miles distant. 
The foundation of the church is traced in the grass by paths of 
white gravel, showing that it was of immense size, being three 
hundred and sixty feet long. The present church, or what are 
the walls of the present church of Beaulieu, were the walls of the 
refectory of the monastery, and were connected with the clois- 
ters. There are many, very many, more things of interest than 
we saw there, but time is too limited to tell of them, and as our 
lunch must now be ready at the inn, we will go and have it, for 
we are ready. 

The castle, the ruins, the lunch, the village, all are entirely 
satisfactory to us, and now, at 11 : 45, we start by a road yet un- 
seen by us to walk to Brockenhurst, six miles, which we per- 
formed easily, walking the last mile in steady rain. Two miles 
of this walk were through heather fields, the balance through 
timber, all of which were such as I have described. At 
Brockenhurst we took train to Lyndhurst Station, six miles, 
thence by omnibus two and a half miles to Lyndhurst town 
and the Fox and Hounds, where we arrived at three-thirty, and 
we think we have had a day. 

Thursday^ June 7th ; — The cold chilly rain of yesterday 
afternoon and last evening added perfection to our condition 
for sleep. \A'e retired at eight o'clock, and arose at eight this 
A. M. ; breakfasted at eight-thirty and went out for a short 
tramp. The rain is over, and the sun, of which we have had 
so very little since our arrival in England, shines and looks as 
though it might be the same sun that shines on the country 
across the sea, The air is full of the fragrance of the roses 



20 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

and foliage. It is such a day as comes to give us an occasional 
glimpse of the possibilities of nature, that God sends to make 
men thankful. 

Our tramp took us to see the home of M. E. Braddon, the 
authoress, distant one mile, to get another parting view of the 
forest, to select a few views in the village shops ; reminders of 
our extremely pleasant visit here, and to round it up. 

There are many more things of historical and present-day 
interest to see about here. For instance : The King Rufus 
Stone, erected by the Earl of Delaware, who is a descendant 
of the founder of our state by that name ; the home of Sir 
William Harcourt, Minister of the Exchequer of the Empire, 
and countless others ; but as the whole kingdom is covered 
with scenes of great historical and present interest we are com- 
pelled to pass many of them having much of interest. 

I learn that people having estates in the forest are owners of 
them ; the Crown still owns the forest portions. Forest rights 
go with some of the houses, meaning the forest estates. Forest 
rights are now, as I am told, let for hire to any applicant. 
These include the privilege to pasture animals, to hunt, and 
other privileges. The care of the hounds, the fox and stag 
hounds, are provided for by those who take part in the sport. 

The forest, I am told, has always been forest, and we are told 
of trees that are known to be seven and eight hundred years 
old. We are also told that it was a hunting-ground of the 
Norman kings. 

It is hardly fair to close this letter without mentiohing a little 
thing of yesterday at Bewley, or more properly at Beaulieu. We 
saw a large van or covered and sided wagon, with inscriptions 
on the sides and several men standing about the entrance door 
at the rear end. On inquiring we were told that their business 
was to go through the country, get up meetings, and distribute 
literature in the interest of the Liberal party. Also that a very 
important part of their work was to assist Miss Ida Wells and 
Frederick Douglass in creating the growth of sentiment against 
negro lynching. I learned some time ago that Douglass was 
working on that subject in England. 

This afternoon we return by coach to Southampton by 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 21 

another road than the one we came. There we hope to find 
mail at Radley's, thence go to Salisbury, thence to Winchester, 
where we will spend Sunday. Next week the Isle of Wight. 

My partner has returned from her final tour and shopping 
expedition through the village, and as I must take this to the 
post-office to see about the postage, and it is now near lunch 
time, I must close. 



LETTER III. 

Salisbury, Juneg^ 1^95. 

Our coach ride to Southampton from Lyndhurst was not 
marked with any remarkable incident, but was marked with the 
same beautiful characteristics described before as pertaining 
to our ride into the forest. Other beautiful homes, fields, and 
hedges covered the country and occupied our time with enthu- 
siasm until five o'clock, when we alighted at Radley's. There 
we found some letters which had been forwarded from London, 
and again proceeding with very light baggage, we went to the 
station to take train to Winchester. 

The ride by train from Southampton to Winchester is a short 
one, ending at about seven p. m. ; when carrying our small 
amount of baggage, we proceeded on foot and finally strolled 
into the Royal Hotel, about which there is nothing especially- 
inviting on the outside, unless it be the name, which undoubt- 
edly is very acceptable to Englishmen. 

On entering the room assigned to us, my partner was again 
enraptured with the quaint furniture. Had she been free to 
act, I think she would immediately have proceeded to buy the 
whole of it. After a short tramp, and planning for the oper- 
ations of the next day, we retired at nine o'clock and were soon 
lost to all things English and American. 

During our walk we remarked how light it was, yet how ad- 
vanced toward night was the hour. At seven-thirty the sun 
seemed yet an hour high, and at nine o'clock it was not yet 
dark. 



22 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

The coffee-room, as it is called, again captured my partner 
as we entered it for breakfast. Opening out of it is a bay- 
window which allows passage into a most beautiful garden, 
about eighty by two hundred feet. Flowers and birds were the 
only occupants of the garden during the time we were break- 
fasting, though there is also within the walls a well-kept tennis 
court. A bird, a magpie something like our jay, but larger, 
appeared on the walk outside the window and seemed to say, 
" Give me breakfast." My partner understood his language, 
opened the window, and gave him a piece of bread. He took 
it and hobbled off without any " Thank you." He had a bad 
eye, a crooked leg, and indications of a bad temper. 

The cathedral found us among its occupants at nine-thirty, 
where we found five or six vergers dusting and preparing for 
the ten o'clock service. On finding the chief verger, my 
partner said to him, " This is my husband's first English cathe- 
dral." Turning to me said he, " How happy you should be ; this 
is the first one that was built, hence the most interesting of all." 
Knowing that I would hear from other vergers of the superlative 
excellence of several more cathedrals, I was lost to appreciate 
what might yet be in store for us. But Mr. Read was very 
polite, very thorough and clear in his explanations, and we liked 
him much. He told us to take seats in the choir when the 
time for service should come, and after the completion he 
would devote his time to us. The service included the Litany 
and was presided over by the Bishop, Winton by name, whose 
part was confined to listening and to reading the second lesson. 
It was all very interesting ; the singing and chanting being very 
beautiful. We did not have the organ in that service. 

The service ended promptly at eleven, and our tour of in- 
spection at twelve-thirty. The congregation numbered twenty- 
three ; the Bishop, priests, assistants, choir boys, and vergers 
about the same or more. 

To the nineteenth-century man, used to seeing great build- 
ings ornamented with polished marbles of different colors, and 
carrying beautiful effects in paint and other ornamentation, the 
effect on first entering Winchester Cathedral is not satisfactory. 
It does not seem finished ; and in fact, though it has been more 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 23 

than eight hundred years in building and re-building, the work 
still goes on. The great columns and arches are unpolished, 
their surfaces showing the yellowish hard stone of which they 
are built, which resembles quite closely in color much of the 
limestone that is used in Chicago, though rougher in finish. 

But the little feeling of disappointment soon wears ofT, and 
as we go along and hear the explanation of the verger, and get 
glimpses of the history that his readings of the heraldry give, 
the nineteenth-century man, if he is honest, soon begins to 
realize that the subject is one that he cannot criticise, but one 
about which he wishes he had the time to learn and know 
more. 

History, history, the story of it that this church could reveal, 
if the walls, columns, monuments, and tombs could but talk ! 
Since the last half of the second century, the site has been the 
site of a place of worship. For over twelve centuries the site 
has been devoted to Christian worship ; four hundred years 
were occupied in the building proper. There is a place 
where we can stand and see the Norman arches, under which 
are now constructed the present ones, those of the thirteenth 
century. 

The inscriptions on the tombs, walls, and floors, I think, gen- 
erally come within the time of the last four hundred years, and 
are generally, I think, Latin and English. Some Saxon are 
there, while many of the now known readings are the result of 
the study of the heraldry. 

We spent much time in reading such of the inscriptions as we 
could, finding many relating to historical characters familiar to 
us. Many, very many, tablets are inscribed to soldiers of the 
kingdom, who have died in the service of the Crown all over 
the world. How they suggest the great part that the people of 
this island have taken in the history of the world ! 

We looked for tablets relating to those who took part in the 
war of the American Revolution, and found one remembering 
Sir George Provost, Baronet of Belmont, of Hampshire County, 
Major-General, who commanded in Canada, and who was highly 
honored by the Prince Regent for his distinguished services 
against a powerful enemy. Another inscription I copied and 



24 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

give here exactly as it is, capitals and all, on account of its 
curiousness : — 

" A union of two Brothers from Avington, the clerks Family 
were Grandfather Father and Son, successively clerks of the 
Privy Seal. William but had two sons, both Thomases ; their 
wives, both Amys ; their heirs, both Henrys, and the heirs of 
Henry, both Thomases ; both their wives, inheritrixes, and both 
had two sons and one daughter, and both their daughters issue- 
less ; both of Oxford ; both of the Temple ; both officers to Queen 
Elizabeth and our noble King James ; both Justices of the 
Peace ; both agree in Arms, the one a Knight, the other a 
Captain. 

The Clerk of Hide, 1622." 

Tombs and monuments without number — many of them 
curious and interesting, showing the occupation of the remem- 
bered-one by the dress and trappings cut about the figure. 
Soldiers and Church dignitaries predominate — knights in armor 
and bishops many. Six chests bearing inscription to kings who 
died in the eighth, ninth, and tenth centuries, though I cannot 
give you positive evidence that they were ever in those chests. 

Very many interesting relics, among the more notable being 
the font that is now used. Norman, dating from early in the 
twelfth century. It is made of black slate-stone, I should say 
four feet square, and about the same height, the receptacle for 
water originally being large and deep enough to admit of immer- 
sion, for which it was formerly used. It is covered with inscrip- 
tions done in figures which tell stories, and to us was very 
interesting. 

Before the altar here Bloody Mary married Philip of Spain in 
July, 1554, and the chair in which she sat is now shown and is 
in quite good order. Of course, as compared with other things 
hereabout, that is not very old. 

On the sides of the choir are the seats that the monks used to 
use during their services, so constructed that if the old fellows 
remained perfectly straight and proper, all would be well, but 
if they became unsteady from inattention or from too liberal 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 25 

patronage of the brew, the seats would tip and down they 
would go. 

One thing struck me as remarkable, and that was the accumu- 
lation, largely mold and dust turned to earth, in the crypt of 
the cathedral, which was not moved until within the last eight 
years, when many of the interesting things that are now shown 
were brought again to light. While the work was a large one, 
it seems strange that it should have been done only so recently. 
In this work a well was found, near the top of which the water 
now stands, which it is supposed supplied the water for the first 
temple that was erected on this site, viz., the one of the second 
century. The exterior is not specially interesting, save for the 
size and massiveness. The tower is low and square, and there 
is not any ornamentation. The length from east to west 556 
feet, and extreme width 230 feet. 

The total area of land belonging to the cathedral and Wol- 
versley Castle adjoining is thirty-five acres. There was 
originally attached to the cathedral a Benedictine monastery, 
with a prior and from fifty to sixty monks, with an income of 
four thousand pounds per year. 

It is the largest and oldest of the English cathedrals. I learn, 
on further research, that the dates given to the successive 
churches, which have occupied the same site, are applied to 
the cathedral as being dates of its construction, yet I hardly 
think that is correct, as it seems to me they can hardly be ap- 
plied to the present building. 

It may not be going too far with the subject, while we are at 
it, to give a few dates and a few particulars relating to the 
church edifices that have stood here. 

A. D. 169. First Church — Christianity was taught by preachers 
from Rome. 
266. Church destroyed and Clergy martyred under the 

Emperor Diocletian. 
293. Second Church, erected under Constantine, whose 
son, Constans, is said to have been a monk in 
the Monastery. 
515. Cerdic, founder of the Kingdom of Wessex, slaugh- 
tered the Clergy and converted the church into a 



26 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

Temple of Dagon, in which he was crowned 

A. D. 519, and buried a. d. 534. 

534. Church built the third time, being completed in 

A. D. 648. It was called the Sanctuary of the 

House of Cerdic, in which the Saxon kings 

were crowned. And so it goes on until 1885, 

when the story says the crypts were cleaned out by 

Dean Kltchin, and the churchyard improved. 

The three hours soon passed, and we were surprised when 

twelve-thirty came, and felt loth to pass on to other subjects of 

interest, which we felt that we must do, for you know there are 

very many more in the Kingdom of Great Britain, and then 

comes France, Switzerland, Italy, and other countries, and if we 

visit and write about all such places, we and you will have 

much work to do. 

Wolversely Castle was built in the seventh century by Kyne- 
gils, and was destroyed by Cromwell in 1646. Enough of the 
walls and buildings remain to show that it was large, capable of 
accommodating many people, knights, and soldiers. The courts 
and inclosur'es are now devoted to tennis-courts and games, and 
in one we saw a dozen or so black-nosed Southdown sheep 
silently ruminating, undoubtedly on the untold history of their 
surroundings. The castle and ground has belonged to the 
Bishop of Winchester since 655. Queen Mary was housed in 
this castle, when she came here to marry Philip of Spain. 

The ruins of Hyde Abbey are very scant now, powerful and 
wealthy as it once was. It was completed by Henry First in 
1 1 TO, when the Abbot and monks moved into it, taking with 
them the remains of King Alfred the Great, which are yet sup- 
posed to be some place in the site, as we are told by a stone, 
which it is supposed occupies the exact place. Abbots of this 
Abbey have seats in parliament, and the history of the Abbey 
occupies a very prominent place in the story of Winchester. 

After being burned in 1141, during the wars of King 
Stephen's time, there were taken from the ashes sixty pounds 
in weight of silver and fifteen pounds in weight of gold, and 
many other valuables. The Abbey is said to have owned 
twenty-seven thousand acres of land. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 27 

The parish church of Saint Bartholomew is now on the site 
and used for worship. About all that the curious Chicagoan 
now sees of Winchester Castle is the great hall still in use, and 
in good preservation. Size : One hundred and eleven feet 
long ; fifty-five feet wide, and the central height is fifty-five 
feet. 

The castle was the principal residence of all the Norman and 
Angevin kings ; also of later kings. 

King Rufus started from here on the hunting expedition 
from which he never returned. 

Here Henry First was married to Matilda of Scotland. 

Here the Empress Matilda stayed during her struggle with 
Stephen. 

Richard Coeur de Lion was received here by his nobles, 
when he returned from captivity. 

Henry the Third was born here. 

All the Edwards held court here. 

Henry the Fifth received the embassadors of Charles of 
France here. 

Here Henry the Eighth entertained Emperor Charles the 
Fifth. 

Here Mary entertained Philip and concluded their nuptials. 

And so it goes on. The story is so great a part of the history 
of England that it would consume a decade to write. We spent 
much time in the great hall. For hundreds of years the Parlia- 
ment of England sat here. For hundreds of years the great 
state trials were held here, the last one being the first trial of 
Sir Walter Raleigh. 

On the wall, firmly held by irons, is the round table of King 
Arthur. It is about eighteen feet in diameter, and exactly 
round. It is very heavy oak plank, and now painted in divis- 
ions, each division bearing the name of one of the knights. It 
was first painted, as now, by Henry the Eighth and bound with 
iron at the same time by the same authority. There is no cer- 
tainty of the purpose or use of it when first made, though its 
record reaches back twelve hundred years. 

Winchester, the old capital of England, is simply inexhaust- 
ible in interest ; we saw but little of it. 



28 ^ EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

The present town is interesting aside from its history. We 
spent some time about the streets studying the economic ques- 
tion, and still believe the laborer can use a small amount of 
money as advantageously in Chicago as in England. We be- 
come more and more convinced of this as we study the prices 
quoted in the shops.' 

Near the great hall of Winchester Castle a building is being 
constructed. I interviewed one of the helpers, and learned that 
his pay is four pence per hour, and that of the stone mason 
seven pence per hour. They work ten and a half hours, for 
which they get eighty-four cents, and one dollar and forty-seven 
cents, respectively, American money. 

Four o'clock at the hotel ; — my partner has made another 
visit to the garden and the birds, our bill is settled and we are 
off for the station, carrying our baggage. A wait of seven 
minutes for the train, and we are off for Salisbury, where we 
arrived between six and seven p. m., and located at the White 
Hart Hotel. 

I abominate English railway coaches, but like the locomo- 
tives. 

Saturday^ June 9th, Salisbury Cathedral, nine-thirty A. m. : — 
The effect, on entering, is more agreeable than Winchester. It 
is more modern and more in keeping with what a Chicago man 
expects to see in a renowned and beautiful building. There are 
polished marble columns, the stone walls are more smooth, there 
are frescos and paint. It is very beautiful to look at and rest- 
ful to be in. 

We stayed inside until twelve-thirty, one hour of the time 
being occupied with the service. The organ music and singing 
of the choir was beautiful beyond description. They had the 
effect to draw the writer thither again to-day. 

Like Winchester Cathedral, so is Salisbury, a subject impos- 
sible to describe. The present is not the original site ; it was 
moved, which work and the construction of the present building 
was commenced in 12 19; hence its more modern appearance 
and construction. Two things of special note were the Chapter 
House and Cloisters. 

The Chapter House, an octagonal building, I should say sixty 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 29 

feet in diameter, with roof correspondingly high and supported 
by one column. It was used by the dignitaries of the Bishopric 
See when in council, and is a beautiful structure. 

Entirely encircling the building inside, about seven or eight 
feet from the floor, done in figures of human beings cut in stone, 
the figures being ten or twelve inches high, is a literal story 
taken from the Old Testament. It is a great work in conception 
of detail and of workmanship. 

The cloisters are quite well preserved and very extensive. It 
is said they are in as good state of preservation as any in 
England. Unlike Winchester, the exterior is very attractive, 
especially the front, which is covered with statuary, and then 
there is the magnificent tower and spire four hundred feet high. 

Parts of the wall that used to surround the cathedral grounds, 
within which are the bishop's castle, are still intact as are the 
old gates, which are yet used and closed at night, but by ring- 
ing a bell they will open. 

Having spent three full hours in the cathedral, we came out 
at twelve-thirty, when, it being lunch time, the writer passed out 
of one of the gates and ordered lunch to be prepared in an hour at 
the Crown Hotel, near by the cathedral grounds. On returning, 
I found my partner seated on the lawn and studying the statuary 
on the front of the building. I commanded her to immediately 
arise from the damp earth, which she proceeded to do, — when 
she got ready. Some time being spent in the grounds about the 
cathedral, we lunched, and were so charmed with our meal and 
surroundings, and — and — the — the charge therefor, and believ- 
ing that such good people should be rewarded, we engaged a room 
at the little inn, went to the White Hart, got our baggage and 
moved. We expected to return last night to Southampton, but 
are yet, Sunday afternoon, June 10th, in Salisbury, living at the 
Crown Hotel, which has been a hotel for more more than two 
and a half centuries. 

While walking in the country, near the edge of the town, late 
yesterday, we were passing by a wall about six feet high, having 
over it for covering a thatched roof. We soon came to an opening 
in the wall, and found the enclosure to be a cow-yard and the 
inside of the wall to be stalls ; hence the roof. We walked in 



30 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

and had a little talk with one of the old men of the dairy. I 
will give you a few figures, the result of the little talk. 

They rent the land for their dairy ; rental, four pounds per 
acre ; rates and additional charges, about one pound more, making 
the amount the tenant must pay in United States money about 
twenty-five dollars per acre. United States price for good farms 
and good buildings is five dollars per acre, and less. Price in 
England for the milk, wholesale, twelve to sixteen cents per 
gallon. I don't know what the price in Chicago is, but fully as 
high, I think. (Since writing the above, I have been told that 
the above price of land in England is entirely too high. I don't 
know which is right.) 

Laborers in Salisbury work twelve hours and earn eighty-four 
cents. Stone masons work the same hours and earn one dollar 
and forty-four cents. 

We went through the market streets of the town last night. 
It was Saturday night. The crowd was composed of the common 
people entirely, buying for Sunday. It was the quietest, most 
orderly, best dressed, and cleanest crowd of common people 
that have I ever seen in a city. The clothing was common of 
course, but clean, and in order. Explain this, if you can, I can- 
not, unless it is the work of the Salvation Army, which I am 
inclined to think. 

We have not fully decided yet when we will return to South- 
ampton. My partner wants to see something old, and I don't 
think anything but Stonehenge and the work of the Druids will 
entirely fill the requirements, hence, we may drive there to- 
morrow, distance ten miles, and return to Southampton that 
evening. 

The English landscapes, the hedges, the towers, parks, and 
vine-covered cottages are fully up to what the stories make 
them out to be. 

We have made the acquaintance of a citizen of Salisbury 
who is entitled to consideration here, a Mr. Bang, who resides 
at the Crown Hotel. Mr. Bang's years number enough to place 
him well beyond the turning-point in life, and with his accumu- 
lated years has come obesity, and his walk is a waddle. Age has 
told too on his uses and objects in life, until now he seems to 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 3 1 

have but one, and it is charity. He pursues it faithfully, and 
his good work has made him quite a celebrity. His portrait, 
story, and name have adorned some of the London dailies. 
He will stand and gaze at you with a beseeching, expectant 
look, until you give him a penny, which he will take with facial 
and other evidences of satisfaction and waddle off and place in 
a box. His collections, which go to a hospital, amounted, prior 
to September, 1893, to ten thousand, one hundred and seven- 
teen coins, having value of one hundred and forty-nine dollars 
and sixty-one cents. 



LETTER IV. 

Southampton, /?/;2^ 13/"/^, 1894. 

The last was mailed at Salisbury a few hours before our 
drive to Stonehenge. The distance to Stonehenge is ten miles. 
The drive was not as pleasant as it would have been had it not 
been for the cold rain and wind. It rained hard much of the 
time and blew hard all the time. 

Our drive took a route which passes Old Sarum, the site of 
the cathedral and monastery before they were moved to Salis- 
bury in the thirteenth century. It was also a strongly fortified 
Roman camp and Saxon town. It rained and blew so hard 
on the trip going that we could not leave the carriage at Old 
Sarum, hence we will take you along with us to Stonehenge, 
and do Old Sarum on our return. Ten miles through English 
landscape and along English roads is an event to be remem- 
bered. It is always the same perfection of the lovely and 
beautiful. 

Centuries of habitation and cultivation have brought within 
the confines of beauty the whole surface of the country. Where 
Nature left rugged and rough places, man has terraced 
and improved, until the effect to his eye is now pleasant, and 
enchanting. Streams, which were once unconfined and uncer- 
tain as to their channel, we find now to be controlled and held 
in order by walls and embankments, which increase the swift- 



32 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

ness of their currents and render them beautiful to gaze on. 
Large trees frequently line the roadway at stated and regular 
distances from each other, showing that sometime, perhaps a 
hundred years ago, man planted them. The country is un- 
dulating ; in fact we go over considerable hills, and the roads 
are crooked, both of which features help much toward the pict- 
uresque. Lovely is the vision, uninterrupted with steeples of 
churches, or towers of grand homes, and always at hand are 
the vine-covered cottages and hedges, the country mills, and 
each two or three miles brings us to the traditional English inn. 
I cannot write too strongly on this, subject to express my en- 
thusiasm, or to keep within the confines of truth, I feel that it 
cannot be overdone. 

Our drive took us by the site of a camp of Vespasian, 
Roman Emperor of the first century, and the embankments are 
yet plainly seen. It is now the site of the home of Sir Edmund 
Antrobus, whose estate includes Stonehenge, two and a half 
miles distant. We did not see Vespasian. He was not there 
that day. 

Stonehenge, a collection of immense stones on a beautiful, 
grass-covered hill, on which black-nosed, comfortable-looking 
Southdown sheep graze. I estimated some of the stones to be 
twenty feet long, above ground, seven feet wide and four feet 
thick, granite. Order remains yet in the placement of some of 
them, while others are knocked about in disorder. 

The work is prehistoric, but is credited to the Druids. No 
stone of the kind is now known to be nearer than France. It 
is supposed that they are the ruins of a temple, as there are 
large burial mounds all about. We did not see any of the 
Druids, hence, we could not learn anything definite about these 
stones. ' My partner wanted to see something old — she is satis- 
fied. 

We climbed the hill, Old Sarum, down into and over and up 
the two lines of intrenchments. We estimate the altitude to be 
one hundred and fifty feet above the plain, and the depth of 
the intrenchments to be from fifty to sixty feet. We tramped 
around the hill on one of the embankments and viewed the 
magnificent landscape from all sides. I estimate the distance 



> 




EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 33 

around to be one mile, and will say that we have tramped 
measured distances so much lately, that, by taking the time, we 
can come reasonably close to the correct distance. 

On one side the view was over the city of Salisbury and the 
cathedral, with its immense tower rising above us, while on 
others they were of villages dud farms of Wiltshire and Dorset- 
shire. 

Having dismissed our carriage at the foot of the hill, we 
walked the two miles back to the city. 

Tuesday^ June 12th, 1894. Market-day in Salisbury: — We 
wrote letters during the morning, and at ten-thirty went to the 
markets. Cattle, sheep, horses, swine, grain, all things that the 
farmer wants to sell or buy are there. The stock was not as 
good as I expected to see ; not as good as American, save the 
sheep, which are better. 

The sales, many of them, being at auction, we heard the 
prices. They were generally higher, considerably higher, than in 
the United States, but not as high as I supposed they would be. 
Cows with calf brought from forty-five to sixty dollars, accord- 
ing to the quality and age of the calf. Fat sheep, excellent 
ones, seven to eight dollars clipped ; lambs, six to eight dollars. 
Farmers here are having a hard time, as they are in our 
country. 

One sale I saw I thought the price low. Four fat 
hogs, which I estimate at from one hundred and fifty to two 
hundred pounds each, twenty dollars and a half for the lot. 

We lunched at one o'clock, settled our bill at the Crown 
Hotel, where we had been so comfortable for four days, and 
took up our march to Wilton, distant three miles. This is 
■where the only genuine Axminster Wilton carpets are made, 
and is the location of Wilton House, the family seat of the Earl 
of Pembroke. 

We did not take up our march until about four o'clock, which 
gave us time to finish our letters, and do a few other necessary 
things. Our baggage consisted of a small bundle in a shawl- 
strap. The day was sunny and June-like, about the first such 
that we have had since our arrival in England. Our road of 
course was of the same beautiful kind that I have written so 
3 



34 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

much of ; the surroundings the same ; and enjoying it immensely, 
we simply sauntered or loitered along. We stepped into and 
inspected and admired a little church or two, and arrived at 
Wilton at five-thirty, and domiciled at the Pembroke Arms, a 
little old hotel, in which we were assigned and occupied a 
room overlooking the park and magnificent grounds of the Earl's 
home. 

We strolled around the town, saw it and a church that was 
built by the father of the present Earl at a cost of sixty thousand 
pounds, and back to the inn for tea, which we had ordered to 
be ready at six-thirty. The old Earl was a great traveler and 
admirer of Art, which is proven by the embellishments of the 
church. There are many mosaics and marbles, carvings and 
columns, that he bought in Italy and other parts of the world. 
It is a beautiful church. 

I never believed, from what I had heard of English hotels or 
inns, that I would like them, but I do. The system is very 
different from ours, and thus far I am much pleased with it. 

Table-de-hote is the exception in the country inns. Generally 
you eat what you have ordered and when you have ordered it 
to be ready. For instance, you arrive at night ; you will be 
shown to your room by a maid, who will open and prepare 
the bed for you to get into. Your shoes will be polished, if left 
outside the door ; if they are not, you will be asked in the morn- 
ing if you don't want it done. Your first ring of the bell in the 
morning will very likely be answered by a maid, who will have 
a liberal quantity of hot water for you. You will order your 
breakfast to be ready at a certain time; a plain breakfast is 
understood to be the same every place in all the inns. It is 
the very general English breakfast. We have it much of the 
time. It consists of tea or coffee, toast, bread and butter and 
sauce, usually^am of some kind, or orange marmalade. 

For lunch, or the midday meal you will be expected to say 
what kind of meat you want, and it will be provided. Beside 
the meat, two kinds of vegetables and dessert will be provided, 
also bread and butter ; water also. Tea or coffee or wine 
extra. 

You will be ap| to be told that the joint >vill be ready at 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 35 

six or six-thirty, which means a roast of some kind and vege- 
tables and desert. This is the important meal of the day. 
Bread and butter is included of course ; coffee and tea also, if 
you wish. 

One thing I see I have forgotten to say about the lunch. In- 
stead of the dessert, which will be a kind of cobbler, made of 
fruit, served hot, called a tart, and dressed with cream, you can 
have a salad, if you want it. At the Crown in Salisbury, where 
we enjoyed everything so much, we always took the salad, be- 
cause we liked it so well. It was simply a quantity of very 
young and tender vegetables, lettuce, onions, radishes, sliced 
cucumbers and sliced tomatoes, served without dressing, which 
we dressed ourselves with vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper. 

Our meals usually consist of the plain breakfast, the lunch 
which I have described, and the plain tea, which is universally 
understood, and is universally the same thing, and is an exact 
duplicate of the plain breakfast. We don't partake of the joint 
in the evening, unless we have tramped and are particularly 
hungry. 

You wall usually be served at a table having only your own 
party, very likely in a room where there are no others, except 
for the dinner or joint. The service is perfect. The linen and 
crockery and silver immaculately clean. The cooking I think 
most excellent, w-ithout any exception with us thus far. The 
dinner, or joint, will be carved at a table in the room where you 
are served. Of course they could not follow these lines, if they 
served the large numbers that our hotels do, but I have never 
enjoyed hotel life before as I am now enjoying it. 

At the Pembroke Arms we varied the rule of the plain break- 
fast and ordered eggs, which, after the English fashion, included 
bacon. 

Breakfast over, at nine-thirty, we found ourselves at the car- 
pet factory. Like almost everything else of the factory kind 
it is surrounded by a wall. At a gate we used a knocker. The' 
gate was a door in fact. In answer to our use of the knocker, 
it was opened by a boy who conducted us to the office, where 
we were requested to write our names in a book, and pay a six- 
pence each. Then a man presented himself who said he would 



36 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

conduct us, and this he did to our entire satisfaction, explain- 
ing and showing us all the processes thoroughly. The carpets 
and rugs are made almost entirely by girls who work from six 
to six, leaving one hour of the twelve for lunch. 

The operation of making the carpets and rvigs is a hand one 
entirely, and consists of tying singly each of ihe threads and 
of cutting them off. That is all there is of it. The preparation 
of the materials, of course, is another part of the business, and 
has nothing to do with putting them together. We were sur- 
prised at the lightning rapidity with which the hands and fin- 
gers of the girls flew. They are paid by the square inch, their 
work, what they make, being carefully measured. 

When we sit and play cards, and enjoy ourselves in a brilliantly 
lighted room carpeted with Wilton, we never think of the many 
days of twelve hours that were consumed in the making of it. 
Yates and Co., limited ; their Charter dates 1701, a new business, 
you see. 

Ten-thirty we are at Wilton Hall Lodge. The iron gates open 
and we are conducted into the lodge, and asked as at the fac- 
tory to sign our names and leave a sixpence each. We then go 
to the great house, ring, and are conducted by a servant through 
the grand corridors and rooms, lined and covered with magnifi- 
cent Art. There are many coats of mail and old arms, among 
them the armor worn by the first Earl, who was nobleman to 
Henry the Eighth, and Knight of the Garter. We are shown 
his portrait, and that of succeeding Earls and their families. 
We are shown the magnificent grounds and Italian gardens, a 
herd of hundreds of deer, etc. 

The house is not of recent build exactly, as it was a monas- 
tery for eleven hundred years, and has been in the Pembroke 
family four hundred. It is one of the great homes of England, 
the collection of Art said to be the finest private collection. 
The wall enclosing the ground and park is three and a half 
miles long. 

We drop a sixpence in the ready hand of the old maid-serv- 
ant, who conducts us, buy some views at the porter's lodge, 
and take up our tramp to Salisbury by another road than the 
one we came. The Earl did not invite us to luncheon. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 3/ 

One thing goes, as we say in America, in this country ; it never 
fails, if tried, and that is money. There is no offensiveness 
ever in the persistence with which all work for money, to sell, 
to have you order expensive meals, to serve you, etc., etc. You 
see and appreciate it all the time, but it is done with absolute 
politeness, and whether your offering be a halfpenny or crown, 
and whether it be to rector, janitor, or housemaid, it goes every 
time just the same, and the " thank you " just the same — hearty 
and polite. 

We have Mr. E s' letter and thank him. We have not 

yet been where the cruiser Chicago was, as the enclosed cut- 
ting from a London paper of the twelfth will show. 

We came here, where our baggage is, this afternoon, from 
Salisbury ; go to the Isle of Wight to-morrow. London about 
the eighteenth. 



LETTER V. 

Ventnor, Isle of Wight, June 15, 1894. 

We left Southampton for Ryde, Isle of Wight, Thursday, the 
fourteenth, at eleven a. m., by boat, the trip requiring about two 
hours' ride on the English Channel. 

We touch at Cowes, pass along quite near to the land of the 
island, get quite a good view of Osborne Castle, the Queen's 
home during July and August, and of its neighbor, Norris Cas- 
tle, the country home of the Duke of Bedford. ■ 

As her Majesty will not be at Osborne during our stay on the 
island, we have decided not to go there. 

Ryde, a city of twelve or more thousand, is a watering-place 
of considerable importance. It is situated on high land over- 
looking the channel and distant ocean. The chief thing to see 
in Ryde is the esplanade, a stone promenade along the edge 
of the water for a couple of miles, quite like the one in front of 
our Lincoln Park, though I think not as beautiful, for it has not 
the extended background of beautiful park that ours has. It 
has a narrow strip of very pretty park for a distance, while the 



38 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

rest of the way you walk past a wall seven feet high, inside of 
which are private grounds and turreted buildings, of which you 
can catch an occasional glimpse. 

Having finished our lunch at two o'clock, my partner and I 
sauntered down to the esplanade and spent the afternoon 
lounging on the seats, watching the incoming tide, for which 
the Channel is famous. There were a good many other people, 
whose business did not seem to be any more pressing than ours. 
There were children, music, and birds, and the surging of the 
waves. Six o'clock came unexpectedly soon. Then we started 
and walked along by the water to the end of the esplanade, 
past and around an old fortress, where some soldiers were loung- 
ing on the parapets, who told us visitors were not admitted. 
We continued our tramp, now taking a road into the country 
beyond the extremity of the city, back into and through the city 
in another direction than the one we had gone out, and finally 
found ourselves back on the esplanade, where we found the 
people in thousands watching bicycle races. It was then seven- 
thirty and the sun was high yet. We had walked five miles. 
We watched the races and studied the people. Again I must 
note the universal cleanliness and order of the people. It was 
Thursday evening, not a holiday, at.d the occasion was not an 
extraordinary one. I could not help but think that on a similar 
occasion the crowd that would congregate in an American city 
would have in it unkempt, dirty, and poorly-clad people. It 
was not so yesterday ; they were not there. 

They "were generally more plainly dressed than the people you 
would see in our country, but they were, without exception, com- 
fortably clad and perfectly clean. 

To-day we went by train to Carisbrook village, near which is 
the castle of the same name, walked from the village and climbed 
the hill to the ruins of the castle. The oldest portions are of 
Norman construction, while much of it is of the thirteenth 
century, and yet some is the work of Queen Elizabeth. 

Charles the First was a prisoner here as also were his chil- 
dren, Henry, Duke of Gloucester, and his daughter. Princess 
Elizabeth. The princess died here after her father's execution. 
Much of the castle is in quite good preservation, especially the 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 39 

room in which the princess died and some of those which the 
King used or was confined in. 

In one you read this inscription : — 

"The Princess Elizabeth 
Died -in this Room 
September 8th, 165c." 

We walked entirely around the castle on top of the battle- 
ments, climbed up into and went through the keep, the old Nor- 
man post, and saw Neddy draw a pail of water from the well in 
the well-house. The well is one hundred and fifty feet deep, and 
it is one hundred and twenty-five feet to the water. Neddy is a 
lazy donkey who was eating grass in the court. When called, 
he stuck one very long ear straight to the front, and another one 
straight back. When called with more sternness, he raised his 
head, stuck both big ears straight to the front, and looked at us. 
When called with still more sternness, he very leisurely and with 
great reluctance walked into the well-house and took position by 
the tread-wheel. The man unlocked the windlass, " the iron- 
bound bucket, which hangs near the well," gradually began to 
descend, and the man very unconcernedly got his dinner basket 
and commenced to eat his dinner. Finally the long rope was 
unwrapped and the bucket struck the water with sufficient force 
to be heard plainly where we stood, and Neddy, hearing it, with- 
out being spoken to, very lazily went into the wheel and com- 
menced to tread. Slowly the rope shortened, and the fifteen 
gallons of water was ascending. It finally reached the top, and 
on seeing the bucket, Neddy immediately ceased to tread, the 
windless was locked, Neddy marched out of the wheel and stuck 
his white nose out at us for a tit-bit, and the man had finished 
his lunch. We each drank a glass of cool water. I did not say 
to my partner that possibly there were a few dead kings down 
there. A light was lowered to show us the depth of the well, 
that \^e might know that it was no fraud. We were told that 
the present wheel has been in use three hundred years, and the 
amount that we should give for the exhibition, we could name 
ourselves. 



40 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

^,. We don't understand that Neddy is the original donkey, nor 
do we understand that the man always ate lunch each time he 
lifted a bucket of water. We bought some views of the man at 
the sallyport, learned that three hundred soldiers used to be 
quartered in the castle, and a few other things, and having spent 
a most interesting hour and a half, deposited our fee and walked 
down between trees and hedges and had lunch at the Red Lion ; 
inclosed find the menu. We walked to Newport, a mile or two, 
looked at a church, waited for, and boarded the train, and arrived 
here at four o'clock. 

On arriving here I left my partner at the station to look after 
the baggage, while I came down into the town to look for quar- 
ters. It being our intention to remain a couple or three days, 
we thought we would give the matter of a place to stay some 
consideration. I found a large front room in the Solent, which 
stands on a cliff high up above the sea, below us being the es- 
planade, the pier, the beach, and bath-houses, from which we 
heard much of the time a babel of human voices, music, and the 
roaring of the surf. 

On getting domiciled we went out for a tramp over the cliffs, 
along the shore, returning at six o'clock, and while I am writ- 
ing you my attention is being somewhat distracted by the music 
of a band which is playing on the esplanade beneath us. 

Saturday^ six-thirty p. m., June i6 : — We breakfasted at 
eight-thirty, occupied the time until ten o'clock in the streets 
of the town, and then started for Shanklin, a town on the shore 
four miles north of Ventnor. Our route took us through the 
village of Bonchurch, where we looked at and into a church of 
the twelfth century, and some things of interest and history in 
the churchyard. One an iron cross so arranged that it casts a 
shadow on the white stone, which covers the grave of the author 
of " The Shadow of The Cross," the Rev. William Adams. The 
tomb of John Sterling is also here. He was the friend of Car- 
lyle and wrote his life. 

From Bonchurch we took the path over the cliff's, near but 
high above the water. It is a very rough and craggy route, much 
of the distance being through a dense thicket of bushes, so 
dense that we were frequently compelled to stoop low to get 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 4I 

through, and I was compelled sometimes to extend my hand to 
my partner to help her up. There was no danger, as there 
were no precipices or crevices, but it was a rough road to travel. 
The day was perfect, the water calm, the birds in good spirits 
and voice, and the flowers profuse. Wild eglantines, marguerites, 
daisies, buttercups, and countless others unknown to us, cover- 
ing the whole scene. Finally our path emerged from the jungle, 
and we came into open fields, a mass of marguerites. 

Yesterday, my partner having expressed a wish that she might 
pluck all the marguerites that she wanted, I remirtded her of it, 
and that now was her opportunity. We plucked good bunches, 
and strolled on, finally reaching Shanklin about noon and en- 
tered, at the opening into the sea, Shanklin Chine. Shanklin 
Chine is what we call a glen, a fissure in the earth, in the bottom 
of Vvrhich runs a little stream, lined with trees, and having in it 
a little waterfall or two. You tramp from one end to the other 
over a prepared walk, and have a shady, romantic trip, very 
beautiful indeed but very insignificant in comparison with Wat- 
kins Glen in New York State. At the top, where we came out, 
is a little fountain, made from a spring, I think, over which is 
this inscription, written for it by Longfellow: 

*' O traveler, stay thy weary feet, 
Drink of this fountain pure and sweet ; 
It flows for rich and poor the same. 
Then go thy way, remembering still 
The wayside well beneath the hill, 
The cup of water in His name." 

This fountain is in the old part of the town, the old village, and 
is surrounded by thatched cottages, one of which, a spread-out, 
struggling affair, is the Crab Hotel, where we had a most ex- 
cellent lunch, and of which we left nothing to tell the tale. 

Rested and refreshed, we walked down by the sea on the 
esplanade, which all these towns have, around through the foli- 
age and vine-covered beautiful town, and took up our march 
back to Ventnor by the coach road. The coach road, a narrow 
lane formed by two hedges and covered with white fine gravel as 
smooth as one of our boulevards, winds along the sides of the 



42 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

hills two to six hundred feet above the sea, affording the traveler 
a view hard to equal. On our right was the grass and flower- 
covered hill, rising two to four hundred feet above us, while be- 
low it sloped toward the calm sea. We overlooked the homes 
and farms beneath us, watched the people at work in the fields, 
and sauntered on toward Ventnor, reaching our hotel about four 
o'clock, having walked about ten miles. 

As we returned through the village of Bonchurch, the road 
being high up above the greater part of the town, we saw, float- 
ing below us from a staff, apparently in private grounds, the 
Stars and Stripes. Glorious Old Glory, floating as beautifully 
as he floats in the great country across the sea. On inquiring 
we learned that the flag belongs to and is floated by the propri- 
etor of an inn near by. 

Please note : — It is now five minutes before nine o'clock and 
I am just now compelled to stop and have a candle. I have 
been writing by daylight until now. 

Sunday^ the 17th: — We had a pleasant surprise this morn- 
ing at breakfast, when four Americans came in and took seats 
at our table. A gentleman and lady from Omaha, and a 
gentleman and lady from Canton, Ohio. We have had a pleas- 
ant day with them. It seemed like meeting home folks. We 
six are the only guests at the hotel. It is American Day. 

My partner has been, for some time since our midday dinner, 
with the ladies in the parlor, where there is a fire which is very 
comfortable to-day, as a heavy fog is drifting in from the sea, 
damp and chilly. She is here now and says she will write to 
her mother. 

To-day we went to church, and again I thought of what a 
great part the Church of England has played in the formation 
of the habits and character of the people. They are one 
people ; for centuries they have come from the same stock, and 
under the same teachings of the universal and established 
Church. How thoroughly it is established, too, is impressed 
on you all the time, every minute about. On all hands are the 
churches of the one church. You see its literature every place^ 
you hear the chanting constantly, and as its teachings are all 
for order and propriety, the people are stamped with it. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 43 

We coach from here to-morrow or Tuesday to Freshwater at 
the other end of the island, twenty-one miles, where we will see 
a few old things ; thence to Lymington and Hurst Castle, fol- 
lowing the route of the unhappy Charles ; thence to Southamp- 
ton and London, arriving at the latter about the twenty-first. 



LETTER VL 

Victoria Hotel, Loftdon, June 2ot\\^ 1894. 

We decided Sunday that we would leave Ventnor the fol- 
lowing morning and go to Freshwater at the other end of the 
Isle of Wight. Consequently, immediately after breakfast I 
hunted up the coach-line people, and made arrangements for them 
to call for us when their starting time, ten o'clock, should come. 

Our American friends started a few minutes before us, by 
carriage, to go to Cowes, in the opposite direction from our 
intended course. I think they were very willing to push on in 
the hope that they would find a warmer country. We were all 
half freezing, as we have been much of the time since arriving 
in England. It is quite cool all day. Rarely is an overcoat or 
wrap uncomfortable, and when night comes, we pile everything 
0^1 the bed. We are, however, very comfortable at night, the 
beds being very good. 

The people of the country don't think it is cold. Men, women, 
and children are dressed in summer clothing, and don't wear 
or carry wraps. 

Sunday the nice old gentleman who keeps the Solent Hotel 
at Ventnor thought his American guests would like a fire, hence 
with a few lumps of coal started a little reminder of a fire in the 
grate in the drawing-room. When- it got under way, one of the 
ladies deliberately shoveled all the coal, that he had left on the 
fire. It burned out. The old gentleman came in, and seeing 
that the fire was out, remarked that as it was late, and the day 
advanced, and the room warm, there was no need of its being 
started again ; and that is the history of our fire. 



44 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

When ten-thirty came Monday, the day before yesterday, we 
were off for Freshwater, distant twenty-one miles. The morn- 
ing being cool and the weather threatening, the number of people 
who had signified their intention to go dwindled to my partner 
and myself and one other, hence, instead of going by coach, we 
went by brake, a wagon such as you frequently see in Chicago, 
with one seat across in front for the driver and one on each 
side running lengthwise that would accommodate four. 

Though the wind was strong and cool from the ocean, we, being 
well supplied with blankets, were very comfortable. The trip 
required three and one-half hours; during much of which time 
it rained hard. Yet with the elements against us notwithstand- 
ing, we enjoyed the journey much. The road we went by runs 
for the whole distance quite near the sea, and is through the 
indescribably lovely landscape that I have written you so much 
about. We had on this drive some new features, which I wish 
I could adequately describe. Poppies in perfect bloom are 
growing by the acre spontaneously, and line the roadsides, add- 
ing much to the lovely abundant floral effect. Beside these we 
saw many fields of a kind of pea, that is grown for feed for stock. 
It grows about eighteen inches high, and was covered with the 
blossoms, a beautiful flower purple in color. Generally mixed 
through the blooming peas were thousands of poppies. How 
poorly this writing conveys the beauty of those fields ! 

We frequently passed things having historical and other in- 
terest. For instance, the seashore home of Lord Tennyson, and 
a monument erected to commemorate a visit of Alexander of 
of Russia, ruins, etc. 

The monument erected to the Czar suggested that a monu- 
ment should be built commemorating our visit, and we thought we 
would have it placed on the hill near to Alexander's, but then 
we remembered from reading the Court news in the London 
dailies that the Prince of Wales is kept very busy presenting 
stands of colors, laying corner stones, and opening chicken fairs, 
hence we concluded not to do anything about it now. 

After lunching at the Freshwater Bay Hotel my partner and 
I concluded we would walk to Alum Bay and the Needles. A 
good map will show you, if you are sufficiently interested to look 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 45 

it up, that the extreme western point of land of the Isle of Wight 
is called the Needles. The Needles, in fact, are three chalk rocks, 
that stand up out of the water a hundred feet high in a line in con- 
tinuation of the point of land. One of them has a small lighthouse 
on it, and when you are en 7'Oicte from New York to South- 
ampton, your good ship will pick up her first pilot near there. 
Our ship passed quite near the Needles, so we saw them 
very plainly from the deck. The distance from tUfe Freshwater 
Bay Hotel is two and three-fourth miles. The path is marked by 
little piles of white chalk laid on the grass a few feet apart, and 
its course is over chalk cliffs, which are from four to five hun- 
dred feet above the level of the sea, and some places the sides 
are perpendicular for two hundred or more feet to the roaring 
waves beneath. These hills seem to be entirely pure chalk, 
and when the very thin covering of turf is removed, you see 
what looks like pure white lime or chalk. It is so plentiful in 
and about the south of England as to have but little value. I 
don't see how anything at all grows on those hills, yet there is 
a very thin covering of soil, on which very thin turf and good 
grass grow, which supply feed for sheep, which are all about 
in large flocks. The people here call these grass-covered hills 
Downs. 

We tramped over the downs, had a near look at the Needles, 
and back by another road, a coach-road, which took us through 
the park of Farringford, another home of Lord Tennyson. 
While on the highest part of the downs, nearly five hundred feet 
above the sea, and a mile from any shelter, except our umbrellas, 
a hard rain came on us, but it did no harm to us or the lazy 
sheep about us. 

Tuesday^ June 19th : — The sun was bright and warm on the 
Isle of Wight. The cold rain and wind of the day before had 
gone, and in their stead we had the warmth and perfumed 
balmy air that belongs to early summer. It was a perfect day, 
and all other things necessary to the satisfactory carrying on 
of our work were perfect. At nine-thirty we mounted the top 
of a coach to ride to Yarmouth to take boat for Lymington, ex- 
pecting to go from there to Hurst Castle, another of the prison 
homes of the unhappy King Charles. The coach ride is three 



46 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

and a half miles, and the boat ride a half an hour ; during 
these we learned that we could not visit the Castle without a 
special permit, and as the Queen had not been advised of our 
desire, no permit had been sent us ; hence, instead of stopping 
at Lymington on landing there, we took the train to Southamp- 
ton, where we picked up our baggage, stored at Radley's, and 
immediately came on to this village, arriving June 19th, 1894, at 
four-thirty p.^m. 

Following the advice of a friend we went to a boarding-house 
in Craven Street, where they could not give us a very desirable 
room, though we engaged to occupy it temporarily, and immedi- 
ately took up our march to find more suitable lodgings. After 
visiting several hotels and apartment houses, and making no 
decision, we did what all greenhorns do on arriving in London, 
mounted to the top of an omnibus and rode through the Strand. 
Finally we brought up in a restaurant, had some supper, and 
went to our room and retired. The next day, Wednesday, we 
engaged a room for Thursday here at the Victoria, and went on 
our business of sight-seeing by ' bus, where do you suppose ? 
Why, the Tower of London, of course. It would be folly and 
perhaps uninteresting for me to attempt anything at the history 
of the Tower. Its history would form many pages in the 
history of England. The historical events to which its stones 
have borne witness w^ould make volumes of misery and hap- 
piness. We spent an hour and a half closely and interestedly 
occupied, much of the time in the Armory. The arms, armory, 
and armor were of particular interest to me. It is wonderful 
the ages of time that man has spent, and is yet consuming, in 
inventing machines for death and torture, I don't know that 
man is much improved, in this particular, over what he was five 
hundred years ago, save that his inventions of to-day are more 
scientific and deadly in their operations than they were in the 
old times. And then I think, as is suggested by the armor in 
the Tower, men were greater cowards in the old time than they 
are now ; the stories of Knight Errantry to the contrary not- 
withstanding. In those days they covered themselves and 
horses with impenetrable mail, while now they must face the 
most deadly storms of missiles withoutany protection. . ' 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 47 

There are crowns and jewels and armor of many, very many, 
historical characters ; two of the suits of armor were worn by 
Henry the Eighth. 

While we were in the Tower, a salute was fired by the 
battery, which we supposed was in honor of our visit, until told 
by one of the beef-eaters that it was in honor of the coronation 
of Queen Victoria, as it was the anniversary of that event. 

On our way to the Tower we took in the Bank, as the Bank 
of England is called. If you isk for the bank, or are going to 
the bank, it is always understood to be the Bank of England. 
If any other is intended, you must so state to be understood. 
Well, we took in the Bank. The only things extraordinary 
about the Bank of England to the cosmopolitan man who 
strolls through it, is the fact that it is but a one-story build- 
ing, and some fellows, whom they call Beadles, and who stand 
around wearing the most eye-splitting costumes that the world 
ever produced, and who pretend to answer questions, and never 
fail to accept any tuppence that may be offered. I am sorry 
that I cannot describe the costume, but that is impossible ; 
yet you may try to see in your mind a man with black trousers, 
having a wide bright red stripe down the legs, a pink swallow- 
tail coat with big brass buttons, a bright red vest with big 
brass buttons, and a gown over all reaching almost to the 
ground, which is bright red trimmed with wide black braid, a 
black cocked hat trimmed with wide red braid, which he wears 
with the side to the front. Look at him, if you can imagine 
him. 

Such an animal in Chicago would cause a riot. I suppose 
the creatures represent some demoralized custom or tradition, 
but did not take time to inquire, and then I was almost para- 
lyzed with the astounding clothes. 

From the Tower we went to Saint Paul's Cathedral, the 
distance is not very great and we walked, stopping eji route for 
lunch. While at luncheon, the drizzle increased to hard rain, 
and continued while we were at the Cathedral. The smoke- 
colored, gloomy building was not enlivened any by the gloomy 
day, hence my remembrance of it is not of the happiest kind. 
It is a great building though, and filled with things of history ; 



48 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

another monument to the industry and never-ceasing perse- 
verance of the Church of the Apostles. 

We returned to our room, damp, tired, and cross. We dined 
at seven, after which, the rain having ceased, and the clouds 
having flown, the sun, yet high, was shining brightly, and we went 
for that never-failing and always desirable thing in fair weather, 
a 'bus ride. We rode on different streets and in different dis- 
tricts, among them the Whitechapel District, returning home at 
near eleven o'clock. 

Thursday, eleven o'clock, found us at Westminster Abbey, 
where we spent two hours intensely interested. Westminster, the 
burial-place of those whom we read and talk about, whose names 
are household words, whose works we see, and whose foot- 
prints cover the sands of time. Graves of Kings and Queens, 
monuments to Kings, Queens, Knights, Statesmen, Authors, 
and Artists. People whose acts and lives belonged to the 
world. Westminster is a mausoleum of the world's great dead. 

Magnificent in its construction and ornamentation, a wilder- 
ness of beauty and interest ; I am not the one to write about 
it. We will see more of Westminster. 

After leaving the Abbey we lunched, took possession of our 
engaged quarters here in the Victoria, mounted a 'bus, and rode 
to the Kew Gardens, distant twelve or more miles. The Kew 
Gardens are what we would call a park, containing two hundred 
or more acres. If I remember rightly, about half the size of 
Lincoln Park. It is a very lovely spot ; having fine conserva- 
tories and palm-house, and a museum filled with specimens of 
woods of the world like those that were in our Forestry Build- 
ing. 

An observatory one hundred and sixty-five feet high, called 
the Pagoda, owing to its peculiar architecture, many fine forest 
trees and all the things that go to make up a fine park. It is 
situated on the Thames. On our return we stopped off the 
'bus at the Kensington Gardens, saw the palace that was the 
girlhood home of Queen Victoria, and the statue of her when a 
young woman, done in white marble and placed there, as the 
inscription says " by her Loyal Subjects .of that neighborhood." 
It is a beautiful work. We strolled on through Kensington 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 49 

Gardens, another park on the side of which is the Albert 
Memorial, erected a few years since by the Queen and people 
to the memory of Prince Albert. It is the finest monument 
that I have ever seen. We have nothing in our country of the 
kind and nothing as beautiful. It is not nearly as great, of 
course, as the Washington Monument, but I think it one of the 
most beautiful things of the monumental kind that money and 
talent could produce. It is covered with statuary in different 
kinds of marbles and stones, and is brilliant with mosaic work 
and gilding. The proportions and site being fine, it is a thing 
of wonderful beauty, which we were loth to leave. 

As the sun was disappearing behind the trees of the park, 
we wandered on into Hyde Park and down through it, climbed 
again to the top of a 'bus and came into the city, arriving at our 
hotel at ten o'clock well satisfied with our day's work. 

On coming out of the Kew Gardens at five o'clock we went 
to the Coach and Horses Hotel and ordered dinner. It was 
a good dinner, and we did it justice. My partner ordered 
tomatoes specially. They were very nice and filled the bill. 
They all disappeared. 

Yesterday, Friday, we went to the office of our banker, and 
found letters from different ones at home dated the tenth. They 
were very acceptable and read with much interest. Also found 
papers mailed by friends ; all thankfully received indeed. 

Went to Windsor by rail and returned by boat. Our going 
to Windsor yesterday on some accounts was a mistake, and not 
entirely satisfactory. Her Majesty has been at her Scottish 
home for some time, and we understood would not return 
until the twenty-fifth, hence we were considerably disappointed, 
on arriving at the castle, to be told that she had returned the 
day before, and that we could not see the interior. Well, we 
saw much. The grounds, the courts, the walls, and battlements, 
chapels, etc. The chapels are very interesting in the things of 
history that are about all the cathedrals and old church edi- 
fices of this country. 

The Albert Chapel, restored by the present Queen as a me- 
morial to her husband, is exquisitely magnificent and artistic. 
The walls and covering remain on the outside as they have 
4 



50 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

been for hundreds of years. The work done by Victoria is on 
the inside, and shows that talent and cost were not spared. I 
don't think we will ever see a more elegantly or more beautifully 
decorated and finished room. 

The stories of the life of our Lord are used a great deal in 
the frescoes, carvings, and paintings. 

Very prominent in the middle of the floor of the chapel is 
the monument and receptacle containing the remains of the 
young Prince, heir to the throne, who died recently. All is 
in keeping in costly magnificence, and "exquisitely executed 
artistic work. 

It has come to me that Her Majesty is taking special pains 
in the matter of monuments to the members of her family. It 
cannot be, of course, that she thinks a loving people will 
neglect these little things. However, the monuments and 
memorials are being erected all the same. History will have 
them. 

The boat left Windsor at three p. m. and we left it at Kings- 
ton at seven. For four hours we sat under the awning on the 
little low steamer, and followed the crooked course of the 
narrow Thames down into the city and landed at Kingston. 
We traveled many more miles than we gained in distance, 
owing to the windings of the stream, and though we had gone 
more miles on arriving at Kingston than the entire distance 
by rail to Windsor, yet, when we disembarked, we were less 
than half-way home. From Kingston we returned by rail. 

The Thames is very narrow in comparison to what may be 
reasonably supposed. Much of the distance that we traveled 
yesterday, it was not more than a hundred feet wide. Naturally 
it must have been a very narrow and swift stream. The water 
is confined and the river is made navigable, up as far as Ox- 
ford, by locks, of which there are thirty-one between here and 
Oxford. We went through eight. 

There is but very little traffic on the Thames above London, 
the craft that you see being almost entirely small pleasure boats, 
but they are countless. The banks are low and slope very 
gradually, hence, as we steamed slowly along, we had an ex- 
cellent opportunity to see the people and their homes, and their 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 5 1 

boats and their life. They were in boats of many kinds, 
pleasure-riding, and lounging, and playing games on the lawns. 

The ladies in their summer dresses, straw hats, and shirts- 
waists almost universally, while my partner and I, dressed in 
our winter clothing, shivered. 

One thing that interested us much in our ride on the Thames, 
they being entirely new to us, were the house-boats. I think it 
is in Black's story, "Craig Royston," where you get a fine descrip- 
tion of a boat race and assembly of house-boats, and a de- 
scription of many of them. The scene is the Thames, I think, 
at Henley above Windsor. We saw very many, and very many 
kinds, of the house-boats, many of them occupied and very 
pretty. They are owned or hired by well-to-do people, who 
live in them during the summer weather, days or weeks, as 
they may wish. They are generally fancifully built and or- 
namented. Many of those that we saw yesterday were bowers 
of vines and flowers. In size I should say from thirty to 
eighty feet long, and some are two stories. In width as wide 
as they can be, to admit of passing through the locks, say 
twenty feet. They are moved with little tugs. 

For four hours we wound in and out through this scene of 
ease, leisure, and pleasure, which seemed to be participated in 
by all classes of people. 

At ten o'clock we had eaten our supper at a restaurant and 
.were in our room, tired, but all right. 

To-day, Saturday, June 23d, I went to look up a gentleman 
to whom I had a letter of introduction, given me by a mutual 
friend in Chicago. I found him and was pleasantly and cordi- 
ally received. My partner went to the headquarters of the Girls' 
Friendly Society, found it, and had a satisfactory call. 

We met at the hotel at one p. m., and went to the Parliament 
Buildings and Westminster Hall. They are very interesting, 
rich in historical interest and full of costly and beautiful decora- 
tions and embellishments. 

The House of Lords and the House of Commons are very small. 
The whole are capable of inexhaustible study. I don't think, in 
pleasing effect, there is any comparison to our beautiful capital. 

We came from Parliament House at three o'clock, my partner 



52 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

went to a meeting of the Friendly. After seven o'clock and 
she has not returned. I want my dinner. Nine o'clock p. m. :— 
We have had dinner and are going for a 'bus ride. 

Eleven-thirty p. m. Have returned. Our ride was out the 
Strand to and a long distance out the Mile End Road. The Mile 
End Road is the principal thoroughfare through Whitechapel. 
Leading from the Mile End Road, in some instances a few yards, 
and in others a few rods from it, in narrow streets and courts is 
where the horrible murders were committed, the perpetrators of 
which have never been caught. The street or road is wide and 
is lined with little cheap shops where everything is sold. 

Saturday night it is the thoroughfare for the people of the 
district for a considerable distance ; there they come to do their 
shopping, to lounge, and to take part in the cheap games and 
poor shows. We left the omnibus and visited for a few minutes 
. the People's Palace. The People's Palace is a large institution 
built by voluntary donation and subscription for the entertain- 
ment, amusement, and the instruction of the poor people of the 
East End. , There is a large hall, gardens, swimming baths, 
schools, etc. 

We paid three pence each and went into the very large hall, 
where a comic show was going on. There were many hundreds 
of people there of the working and poor classes. We walked 
about and saw them, and walked about and saw the denizens of 
Whitechapel, who were out in thousands on Mile End Road. 
It was Saturday night, and I will write right here, that the peo- 
ple as a whole were more cleanly, universally better clad, more 
orderly and quiet, and better behaved than are Saturday-night 
crowds on corresponding streets in our own Chicago. While 
we looked for them, we did not see the individual cases of degra- 
dation and misery to the number that you will see in Chicago at 
all, not near the number. We were there until eleven o'clock, 
when the crowd was reducing, and saw it well. 

Sunday, June 24th : — Went to church at Westminster. Heard 
the announcement of the birth of the heir to the throne, and the 
prayer that was offered for him and his parents. The young 
man was not present. He was born last night, and to-day bells 
have been rung and cannons fired in his honor. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 53 

His kingship is undoubtedly years off. He possibly is not 
much interested in it yet. 

The wind and sun and rain have told on my partner's face. 
It is about the color of oak-tanned leather. She is all right. 



LETTER VII. 

Hotel Victoria, London, /une, 26, 1894. 

Number six closed with Sunday afternoon and it is now 
Tuesday afternoon. 

Sunday evening we w^ent to call on some friends, whose 
acquaintance we made on our voyage, and who were with us 
at Radley's in Southampton, but whom we had not seen since 
then. They are Pittsburg people. We found them and had a 
pleasant call. 

We then went to call on some friends from Chicago, who are 
at the Hotel Metropole, the next building to ours. Did not find 
them in so left cards and came home. 

How different are the hotel customs here and in our country. 
On entering a hotel like this or the Metropole, as we did the 
Metropole to make our call Sunday evening, instead of entering 
a large office finished with various colored marbles and onyx 
and tiles and brilliantly lighted, you immediately find yourself, 
in fact, the first room you enter will be an elegantly carpeted and 
furnished room, and if there are guests enough, you will be sur- 
rounded with ladies and gentlemen in evening dress. The clerk 
you will find in some obscure recess or corner in a very small 
office, who wall take your message, and whose commands are 
executed by boys done in black and gold. For instance, they 
took the cards, which we gave the clerk, went to our friends' 
rooms, and then passed around through the parlors and corri- 
dors calling out the number of their rooms, and on failing to find 
the people they reported to the clerk, and we were informed that 
our friends were out. 

Monday, the 25th w^e did not get started very early, owing 



54 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

somewhat to the fact that it was the writer's birthday, and that 
he was a Uttle lazy and independent on account of advancing 
years. 

We went to the British Museum, and as the distance is not 
very great, walked, and took in the shop windows and the things 
of the street. 

We stopped in front of a store where they sell dogs and 
birds. There were pups and puppies, pugs, poodles, and terriers, 
and birds of many kinds. My partner went inside to investigate 
the business, while I remained outside interested in the antics 
of a mess of pug puppies, who were tumbling over and chewing 
each other's ears. I waited some time, and as my partner did 
not come in answer to my signals, I went in and said to her 
that it was possible the place was infested with vermin. I did 
not have to wait any longer. 

We spent two and a half hours in the Museum, simply 
enough to convince us how much it is beyond the possibilities, 
in the matter of time and intellectual ability, of the ordinary 
individual. 

As a great deal of the Museum is devoted to history and the 
progress of the human race, I conclude it is safe to say that it 
is to a considerable extent anthropological and historical. 

Some things that we see in the British Museum show us that 
in some particulars the race of man has not advanced during 
the last eight centuries, and in others it has entirely lost the 
advanced position that it held two thousand years ago. 

Immediately on entering the building you can become con- 
vinced of the first assertion by a study of the magnificent books 
and manuscripts of the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth centuries. 
Printed and illustrated by hand, so beautifully and exquisitely 
done, that you will feel that you cannot gaze at them enough. 
The same degree of taste, beauty, and perfection extending to 
the binding that is used in the work of the pen and brush. No 
such books have been made for hundreds of years, and the 
talent does not exist that could make them now. 

They are generally translations of the Bible, or parts of it, 
and usually by Churchmen. It is in this department, as in all 
others of the British Museum, apparently, quantity of material 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 55 

to illustrate a subject is not considered as to limit. It seems 
that the only intent is to obtain the stuff of the right quality, 
regardless of quantity and cost. Hence of these books and 
manuscripts the quantity seems almost unlimited. 

Very many of these are very much larger than any books that 
are made in these days ; twice as large and three times thicker 
than the works on Art that my partner had bound shortly be- 
fore her departure from home. 

There is another way to look at this subject, however, and 
under the light of it the present has great superiority over the 
old time. In these days we make the books so cheaply and 
plentifully that the whole people can have them. 

You pass on into other large rooms, very large indeed ; for 
there is nothing small about the British Museum, and you find 
yourself surrounded with cases filled with the autograph writ- 
ings of Kings, Queens, Presidents, Soldiers, Statesmen, Artists 
and others of the world's great, second to none of which, in im- 
portance to the human race, is the plain Proclamation which 
bears the plain signature, A. Lincoln. 

On again and you stand before a row of busts of Roman Em- 
perors. They are placed as close together as convenience will 
admit, and the row is half as long as the block in which stands 
our Chicago home. Many of them are the old marbles from 
Rome, and of course are excellent likenesses. Even he whose 
knowledge of Roman history is very limited, cannot help but 
think of the immense part those old fellows had in advancing, 
and in retarding the advance of Christianity, and in the history 
of the world. As he stands before the bust of Tiberius, he will 
very likely wonder what the condition of mankind would be 
to-day, if he had made use of his power to protect and preserve 
the life of our Lord. That, though, was not destined. 

We stroll on through the large halls simply glancing at things 
that have been obtained under stipulations of treaties and by 
purchase, when price was not considered, and by battles and 
campaigns ; not finding time to give them, until we find ourselves 
in the presence and surrounded by many of the great dead 
of from two to four thousand years ago. Mummies of Kings 
and Queens. Mummies of the early Roman period, and long 



56 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

before from Assyria and Egypt, and others, many of them. 
Cleopatra and Rameses the Second; apparently the wrappings 
about the body of Cleopatra have not been moved ; but it is 
wrapped and bound as it was when found. Her coffin is there 
in good preservation, covered with Egyptian writings. 

On the package containing the mummy of Cleopatra, at the 
head, is painted the face of a young woman. The labeling does 
not state whether it is supposed to be a likeness or not. On 
another near, however, the painting is called a portrait, and the 
impression is conveyed that it is a likeness. In the matter of 
labeling nothing is stated on supposition, or taken for granted. 
Only such statements are made as can be authenticated. 

The coffins are very large, much larger than the size of the 
wrapped mummy would indicate as necessary, hence I conclude 
that there must have originally been much more wrapping and 
packing used than we see here. Many of these large coffins 
are found in stone chests, some of which are in the museum. 
They are made of stone that I would call granite, and are of two 
pieces. One piece for the chest and the other for the lid, and 
made to go together with the most extreme nicety. The thick- 
ness of the sides and top of these immense stone chests vary, I 
should say, from three to six inches. You can imagine their 
enormous weight. 

There are great quantities of the things that are found with 
the mummies, ornaments, coins, signets, etc. Time and the 
ability of the writer will not admit of anything but the most in- 
adequate description, hence we will take up another part of the 
subject. 

We enter another large room and stand surrounded with the 
history of many of the Kings of Bible times, in the original 
writings. These writings are generally on stone cylinders, 
varying in size from three inches in diameter and six inches 
long, to eight and ten inches in diameter, to twenty and twenty- 
four inches long.* The stone is hard and not very fine in grain 
and about the color of yellow clay. The writings run around 
the cylinders in regular rows and resemble the impression that 
might be made with type about an eighth of an inch in size. I 
made note of a few of these things. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 57 

One of these stones bears Archaic Babylonian Writings 4000 
B. c. Another is the original stone granting privileges by 
Nebuchadnezzar First, 1120, b. c. Another, twelve inches 
long and five inches in diameter, gives a chronicle of Sennacherib, 
King of Assyria, 705 to 681 B. c, and his defeat of Hezekiah, 
King of Judah. While there are large rooms filled with these 
things, I will mention but one more, the Stone of Rosetta. It 
was found by the French near the Rosetta, mouth of the Nile, 
in 1802, and passed into British possession by treaty, and was 
presented to the museum by the King. It is black, resembling 
slate very much. It has one polished surface which is about 
thirty-three inches long, and it varies in width from fourteen to 
twenty-four inches. It is from four to twenty inches thick, and 
is preserved by iron bands, and is shown under glass. It has 
inscriptions on it in three languages. It is these inscriptions 
that have furnished the key under which the hieroglyphic 
language of Egypt is read. 

There are large halls filled with sculptures taken from the 
palace of the Kings of Assyria, dating hundreds of years b. c. 

The library is circular, and under a dome. The dome is one 
hundred and six feet high, and one hundred and forty feet in 
diameter. There are three million volumes. The indexes of 
the subjects and location of the volumes require fifteen hundred 
very large volumes. 

As it is one-thirty and lunch-time, we will leave the museum, 
feeling that what we know of it is only an aggravation. It is a 
storehouse of knowledge of things, even the existence of which 
common mortals do not know of. 

We have walked down Drury Lane to the Strand, have 
lunched, and have been to the law courts. The law courts, or 
courts of justice, resemble much the same institutions in our 
country, save that the judges and lawyers w^ear black gowns 
and white curled wigs with tails. We noticed that the interest 
in the courts is quite like that in Chicago, for it is the divorce 
court that draws the largest crowd. 

On leaving the courts, we went to our hotel, where I com- 
menced this narrative, and my partner rested. A friend had 
sent tickets for a box at the theater, which were stamped even- 



58 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

ing dress. We dressed, dined, and went to the play. It was a 
comedy of London life, was well played, arid very funny. We 
were surprised at the dinginess and unattractiveness of the 
theater. Any city with forty thousand people in America, has 
a finer looking auditorium. I am not, however, criticising 
London theaters, as we have seen but this one. 

Tuesday morning, June 26th, we were lazy, and did not get 
away from the hotel until near ten o'clock. Took seats on the 
top of an omnibus and went to Hyde Park to see the equestrians, 
who are there every forenoon, when the weather is fine, and 
yesterday was not an exception. 

The English people are great people for horses. They drive 
and ride a great deal. The riding in the park yesterday was 
excellent and ver}^ interesting, and there were hundreds of the 
riders. One thing, however, surprised me, and that was the 
popular gait when going faster than a walk. It was not as I 
supposed it was, the trot. We saw very few trotting horses, 
comparatively. The popular gait is our American canter or 
gallop. I imagine that Buffalo Bill's visits here have had 
something to do with this. The horses are very fine ; are 
universally much better than will be seen under the same 
circumstances at home. 

The people, men and women, are good and fearless riders. 
You don't see any attempt at style or similarity in riding habits or 
costumes. Some wore straw hats and some wool. There were 
tight jackets and loose jackets and shirt-waists, and this apparent 
indifference applies to men equally with women, and also the 
other way. They were out to ride and they rode, and that was 
all of it. I paced the riding course to learn the width, and esti- 
mate it to be one hundred and twenty feet. Sometimes the riders 
would pass us about as thick as they could go, and go slowly; 
then again they would be scattered out and would go fast. It 
was a brilliant and inspiriting scene. Some regiments of soldiers 
were marching about, and squads of brilliantly uniformed 
cavalry were also about us ; bands were playing, and there were 
many evidences that we were in the midst of a great people, with 
a great government. One another occasion while in the park, 
this time to see the driving, two carriages came by at a smart 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 59 

trot, the drivers and footmen of which wore bright red coats 
like those the soldiers wear. Hats were raised and bows made 
to the occupants of the carriages, who acknowledged them with 
perfect cordiality and pleasantness. The occupants of the 
carriages were the Prince and Princess of Wales, and other 
members of the Queen's family. 

We have made quite a close study of the parks, that being a 
subject having much interest to the writer. Hyde Park and 
Kensington Gardens are practically one, there being simply a 
street between them. The Gardens being the portion farthest 
from the city. Regent's Park contains four hundred and eighty 
acres. Green Park and Saint James are much smaller. All of 
the above parks and gardens are well down in the center of the 
city, accessible by a very short ride by omnibus, or a not very 
long walk. 

By calculation, made from a map of the city, we conclude the 
average length of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens combined 
to be one and a fourth miles, or a trifle more, and their average 
width to be three-fourths of a mile. This would give an area 
of about the size of Jackson Park or less. 

Only in the matter of large fine forest trees and beautiful 
flowering trees, and these particulars don't apply to all, are the 
parks of London superior to Chicago. The floral display made 
in flower-beds on the ground, we decided, is very insignificant 
as compared with" the magnificent display to be seen in our 
Chicago parks. 

The cultivation of flowers in houses is perhaps greater than 
in our parks, though not much. The drives and walks and 
lakes are quite like ours. The herds of sheep, though, that eat 
the grass, and that are about you all the time in the parks, are 
a feature that we don't have, and w^hich don't add to the attract- 
iveness, in my opinion, at all. 

Besides those that I have named, there are little squares or 
parks scattered about that are called " squires," meaning squares. 
They are like Washington Square on Dearborn Avenue, usu- 
ally fenced and better kept than it is. 

We have walked through and seen much of the parks. Have 
tramped through the entire length of Hyde Park and Kensing- 



6o EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

ton, and across each of them. Regent's Park we inspected 
yesterday very thoroughly, spending three hours in it and the 
Zoological garden there. A charge of twenty-five cents and 
twelve cents is made (American money) to enter the Zoo, which, 
though the collection is far superior to any that I ever saw, I 
think very high. It is possibly a private enterprise, or the fee 
may be necessary for some other reason. 

We decide that the parks of London are far below those of 
our own city in vastness, that they are not as well cared for as 
ours are, and that in the matter of beauty ours are very much 
superior. 

In continuation of our stroll, after leaving Kensington Gar- 
dens, we walked through some parts of Kensington Museum in 
the neighborhood, another vast and inexhaustible collection of 
things of instruction and interest. Much of it is devoted to 
science and mechanics. Also a great collection of things per- 
taining to India. What else I don't know, for we only went 
through one of the several wings. 

Tuesday night we went by underground road, partly to see 
the operation, and to have the experience of the underground 
railroad, and partly to see the show — the show at the Olympia 
Theater, called Constantinople, a spectacular thing on a vast 
scale by the Kiralfys. As an adjunct and covered by the same 
admission, there is a great collection of Turkish bazaars, where 
are quantities of the things to sell such as were offered and 
sold on our Midway. Refreshment stands without number, a 
panorama of Constantinople, an Arabian Nights' Gallery, 
etc. 

Presiding at one of the stalls, and importuning us to buy, we 
found a little Turk, whom my partner recognized at once as 
one of her acquaintances from the Plaisance. He also recog- 
nized her, hence the happiness was mutual. It is so pleasant 
to meet friends from home in foreign lands. In addition to 
these features there is a garden, in which, with the use of a great 
amount of glass, crystal, gas, and electricity, a most beautiful 
and brilliant illumination is produced. The show is spectacular, 
something on the order of America. It is the best of the kind 
that I have ever seen. I did not see America. My partner 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 6l 

says this is not superior to it, perhaps not equal in artistic 
qualities. We were there the second night after the opening. 

In the entertainment seven or eight large vessels float in be- 
fore the audience, covered with gorgeously dressed people, 
while on the stage are several hundred more people and many 
horses, who all sing, except the horses) 

The singing and orchestra are good, the scene gorgeous. I 
suppose this show will follow us to America. 

London is beyond me, and I expect ever will be. New York, 
Chicago, and Philadelphia I can comprehend, can carry them 
geographically in my mind, but London, no. We seem to be 
in the middle of a world that is all city. The crowd and con- 
gestion on the streets, however, are not as great as I expected 
they would be. This I suppose is in some measure owing to 
the many business centers, which prevent too much crowding 
into any one. 

The omnibuses, cabs, cars, and people are in great throngs, 
but are scattered over a vast territory. It is the easiest city to 
go about in, and go correctly, that I have ever been in. Every 
policeman, 'bus and cab driver can and will direct you correctly. 
It is marvelous to me how thoroughly the police are posted in 
the streets and geography of the city, and in the many lines of 
omnibuses and cars. Order reigns in the streets and there is 
less congestion, confusion, and noise than in any large city that 
I have been in. 

Chicago might well copy a few things from London. 

We go to-morrow to Oxford. Will be in England, Scotland, 
and Ireland until about August ist, when we will return here 
for a few days, thence go to the Continent. 

The weather is more propitious for our business than since 
our arrival. It seems that summer is here. 



62 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 



LETTER VIII. 

Stratford upon A.yo'^, Sunday, July ist, 1894. 

The last, mailed at London, brought the narrative of our do- 
ings up to Thursday. That day we did not do much but finish 
our letters, and make preparations for our departure the follow- 
ing day. At six o'clock the Cottiers called and took us out to 
dinner. We had an excellent dinner in the restaurant of the 
Grand Hotel, after which, on the invitation of the writer, we 
all went to the theater, the Alhambra, celebrated as a variety 
theater. The entertainment was more refined, I think, than 
shows of the same character are in the United States, while the 
talent employed is all of the most superior quality. 

We returned to our hotel about eleven-thirty and parted with 
our friends, they soon to go to Paris, and we the next day to go 
to Oxford. 

Our departure from London was at one-forty-five, and at 
three p. m. we were in Oxford, where we stopped at the Roe- 
buck Hotel, at which my partner stayed during her visit to the 
town three years ago. The day was hot and dry and dusty, a 
genuine summer day, and this one is a duplicate of it. 

Oxford, one of the old and one of the most important seats 
of learning in the world, the whole world knows about, hence 
it would be folly for me to attempt much in this. 

A few statistics, however, may be in order. The town dates 
from the eighth century. The population is about fifty thou- 
sand. The University, as a thing of importance, dates from 
the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. There are twenty-one 
colleges and three halls, or, to be less exact, twenty-four colleges, 
and other institutions pertaining to education. The several 
colleges form what is known as the University of Oxford. 

What surprised me much was the small number of pupils ; 
there being but four thousand people connected with the Uni- 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 63 

versity counting professors, teachers, lecturers, pupils, workers, 
etc. 

We walked through a labyrinth of passageways and courts, 
among old halls and walls, and sat on the grass and lounged on 
the benches under the magnificent trees on the magnificent 
lawns. 

Our tramp took us the entire length of Addison's Walk, so 
named because it was his favorite walk, when a pupil here. It 
is a grand walk eight feet wide, with fine trees along either side, 
whose branches lap and form a bower over the walk. It follows 
the course of the little river called the Sherwell, the waters of 
which are shaded by the trees, and on which little boats glide 
noiselessly carrying people pleasure riding. On one of the 
benches, that are placed along the walk, I stretched out, and 
my partner sat and studied her Baedeker. Finally, when four 
hours had passed, consumed in this delightful way, we slowly 
made our way back to the town, made some slight alterations 
in our dress and went to call on Professor Smith and his family. 
Mr. Smith is one of the lecturers for Balliol College, whose 
mother and sisters we know in Chicago. We spent a very de- 
lightful evening, accepted the offer of the professor to visit 
some of the colleges with us the next day, and returned to the 
Roebuck at ten-thirty and slept. 

The next day, Saturday, the 30th, nine-thirty a. m. found us 
at Mr. Smith's home, where we found the father, mother, seven 
children, governess, and a gentlemen guest lounging on a pile 
of hay, newly mown and partly cured, and which was as fra- 
grant and sweet as new hay that I remember in years gone 
by in the country beyond the sea. Mrs. Smith came forward 
and met us cordially, and asked us if we would lie on the hay 
or go into the house. My partner decided by accepting the 
haystack, while Mr. Smith introduced me to a fellow-professor 
who came up, and we talked of the wonder of the West, 
Chicago, and of old Oxford. The two professors retired to 
the house to do a little business pertaining to their college, the 
governess to the shade of a neighboring tree, while my partner 
sat on the hay and answered the many questions that Mrs. 
Smith asked her, while she trimmed a straw hat for one of the 



64 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

children. She has never seen her husband's relatives, who live 
in Chicago, and is desirous to learn about them. 

The children ran off to a neighboring field of poppies, and 
soon came scampering back with their hands full of the brilliant 
things, not much more brilliant in fact than their own faces ; 
especially does this apply to a little three-year-old, whose bright 
red cheeks I likened to the poppies, and who in return for my 
lifting her over the fence, allowed me to plant a kiss on one of 
them. 

Mr. Smith's home is a charming one ; the house new and very 
large, the material stone, and built for durability, and for room 
and comfort, as are English homes, more universally than any 
I have ever seen. 

On completing their business, the two professors returned to 
the lawn and submitted to Mrs. Smith, for suggestions, a paper 
that they had prepared, in which they embodied her recommen* 
dations, and the work was done. We saw that our hostess filled 
a place in the world not entirely confined to her family, guests 
and five servants. It was a very interesting glimpse at En- 
glish home life. At eleven o'clock we declined an invitation to 
return to lunch, and and went off with our host to see some 
sights. 

We were much favored by having so competent a guide, in 
whose memory are stored the acquisitions accumulated by being 
educated in, and by having spent his life in the University. 
Doors, cabinets and cases were opened to us, which a sixpence 
dropped into the hand of a porter or janitor does not effect, in 
fact over which they have no jurisdiction at all. Old halls, 
carvings, paintings, portraits and manuscripts, many of them 
considered almost sacred, owing to the great interest that the 
world has in them. For instance, we handled and inspected 
and read from Browning's manuscripts. In Boston, if this 
should become known, they would likely place us in a triumphal 
procession. 

At one-thirty we thanked and took leave of our newly-made 
friend, he to return to his home, and we to the Roebuck Inn. 

Our parting interrupted the cultivation of an acquaintance 
that we will be glad, very glad to again take up. At five-thirty, 



EUROI'i: FROM -MAY TO DECEMBER. 65 

having spent a couple of more hours under the trees and on the 
walks, we left the sleepy old town for this one. 

At seven o'clock we waited forty minutes at Hatton, a station 
in the fields, where we changed cars. There is no town or 
village, nothing but the thin;^ s necessary for the business of the 
railway, of which there are several branches centering there. 
The day had been hot ; the cars close and uncomfortable, but 
now the cool breeze that came to us over the new-mown hay, 
and the blossoming wheat, told us that Paradise was near at 
hand. As we walked around the station and viewed the mag- 
nificent landscape, and inhaled the perfumed air in the perfect 
quiet that reigned, it seemed that there could not be anything 
more beautiful and enchanting than those forty minutes. 

Great and perfect as our railroad system is, it is inferior in 
some essentials to the system here. For instance, the perfec- 
tion of all conveniences at the stations are very marked. They 
are very much superior to those in much the greater part of 
our stations. The same completeness applies to the stations 
in the fields that does to those in the cities. The refreshment 
stands are all conducted by the railway companies, and are 
admirable. Cleanliness and order rules everywhere. The 
immense local business that the railways do I suppose makes 
the necessity for looking after the details for local business and 
conveniences for local stations greater than it would be if the 
business were more like that on United States railwa3's. 

When we stop and think, and remember that a population 
equal in millions to the combined population of our seven great- 
est states is crowded into this Island, which is about the size, 
or but little more than the size, of Illinois, we will see the 
reason that the railways have for perfecting the conveniences 
for local travel. This is also shown by their countless trains 
that whiz about constantly in all directions. 

Knowing that we would not reach here until the hour would 
be unseasonable for supper, we stood up by the lunch-counter 
at Hatton and had our supper, then our train came and we 
continued our journey. 

In our compartment was another person besides ourselves, an 
old lady of the neighborhood who belonged to the working 
5 



66 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

class of the farm-people. She was returning to her home near 
Stratford from London, where she had been to visit her daughter. 
She said she lived on the estate of " Sir Arthur Odson," mean- 
ing Sir Arthur Hodson. "Thirty-five years ago me and my 
man went there to live. He died but a short time ago, and he 
lays just there," and she pointed to a churchyard, near which 
we were passing. She wiped away the moisture from her eyes, 
and continued her story. " I was compelled to leave the cottage 
when my man died, as it was required to be occupied by a man. 
I was away until Sir Arthur came home from India, when I got 
back into it, and I am at home again. I could not live any 
place else. There is the cottage, see, just there over those trees." 
We looked and saw her home. 

" Farm hands, sir, get from thirteen to sixteen shillings per 
week, and they have their cottage and garden besides. If they 
get more than thirteen, they must take care of the cows, and .do 
char-work. Yes, sir, that is all they get ; there are no other 
perquisities." Sixteen shillings is four United States dollars, 
a week's p.ay and a family to keep. 

" Stratford ! " We bid the old lady good-bye, and are sorry 
for it — sorry to leave her. We go to the Red Horse Hotel, 
where my partner stayed three years ago, are assigned a room 
and go out for a walk about the town. We walked the length of 
the bridge, which spans the Avon, and beyond the town along 
the winding road. As we returned, while on the bridge I 
consulted my watch which showed nine-thirty, and we read 
easily the fine print in our Baedeker. The type is much smaller 
than that used in newspapers. The test was a fair one, as 
there were no clouds to obstruct the light of the sun, and there 
was not any shining raoon to help it. Therefore, let it be re- 
corded, that Saturday night at nine-thirty, June 30th, 1894, 
while standing on Avon Bridge, Stratford, we read by the light 
of the sun very fine print. 

Sunday, July ist, we attended service in Christ Church. It 
was the anniversary of a service which we attended in Saint James, 
Chicago, fourteen years before. In Saint James Church we did 
not have the Shakespearian accompaniments which we had here, 
3.nd which go with everything in Stratford, 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 6/ 

' I think very likely examination would reveal that babies, when 
born here, are branded W. S. 

It was a hot, dry, dusty summer day, we were lazy and did 
not do much. We dined in the middle of the day, after which 
I wrote awhile on this letter, and my partner slept. At seven 
o'clock we had completed our evening meal, and started to walk 
to Wilmcote, distant about three miles. We took the shortest 
route, which is by the canal on the tow-path, and through farms 
all the distance. The canal is very old and very narrow, and it 
has many locks, by which it is carried over the hills. The locks 
will not admit of boats more than about six feet wade, hence they 
'much resemble large canoes, or what large canoes would be 
very much enlarged. In England the enemy of canals, like 
those in the United States, is the railroads. This particular 
one is now the property of the Great Western Railway, and is 
being allowed to go to decay. Not very long since a very de- 
termined effort was made in the House of Lords by the people 
to keep this canal out of the hands of the Railway Company. 
Powerful arguments were made, the committee reported favor- 
ably for the people, who felt sanguine of success, but when the 
vote*was taken, they were buried. They were greatly surprised 
and are wondering at it yet. I related to the gentleman who 
told me about this Mr. Lincoln's story about his effort to con- 
vict a fellow of the theft of a hog. He made his case over- 
-whelmingly, and the jury was instructed in his favor, but 
promptly brought in a verdict against him. He explained by 
saying " that each one of those twelve scoundrels had a piece 
of that pork." I don't know whether my English friend saw the 
point or not. I doubt it. 

Again on our tramp we had the lovely accompaniments^ which 
go with a walk through the fields ; the lowering sun, the birds 
and their music, the flowers and the perfumed air, and the quiet. 
We passed several people who were angling in the canal, of 
course without any success. 

They were waiting for bites, were expecting. There is nothing 
to angling but expectation, take it away and the business would 
die. An occasional little catch renews and increases the ex- 
pectation, and angling lives on, becoming more and more time- 



68 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

honored. A couple of times we were brought to ourselves and 
a realization that we were on earth, by coming on to messes of 
boys in swimming. They would slide into the water, and dodge 
under the bridges and hedges until we would pass, but they 
were civil whelps. We arrived at the little vi'lage and went to 
the Swan Hotel. " Yes, sir," said the woman proprietress, 
" we can give you a bedroom, and allow you to use this room 
for your sitting-room, but as we have no market here, you must 
advise us the day before what you will want to eat, so that we 
can bring it from Stratford." " Well, but don't you have a joint 
and vegetables ? " spoke up my partner. " Oh, yes, we always 
have a joint on hand, but some days it will be cold." " Well, 
that will do us." " Well, then, we will be glad to accommodate 
you. The price seven-and-six," which means seven shillings 
and sixpence, and when translated into United States, one 
dollar and eighty-seven cents per day each. " Very well, ma- 
dam, we may come here Wednesday." 

" I will be pleased to have you, sir," and we took up our return 
march to Stratford, this time by the road. 

And that is what we went to Wilmcote for, to see about accom- 
modations at a country inn, if we could find one, and w^ are 
going there. 

The long twilight was fast growing into night as we left the 
little old inn, and by the time we had covered half our distance, 
night was on, but as there were no clouds and plenty of stars 
it was not dark. My partner had an opportunity to see and thor- 
oughly examine her first iirefly. Though her hand was gloved, 
she was afaid to lift it from the grass, where it was brilliantly 
lighting its surroundings, but when I lifted the harmless thing and 
placed it in the palm of my hand, as I have done so many times 
in the long ago, she studied it to her satisfaction. 

We arrived at Stratford on our return at ten-fifteen, and got a 
cool drink of American water. I call it American water, be- 
cause it flows from the fountain erected by Mr. George W. 
Childs, This memorial fountain is a fine work. It is made of 
stone, is about forty feet high, and say eight feet square at the 
base. It is beautiful in architecture and execution. On each 
of the four sides is an illuminated clock dial ; there are appro- 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 69 

priate inscriptions and statues, four of the latter being the ^ 
American Eagle and the British Lion. It flows cool American 
water. 

Monday, July 2d, we started at nine-thirty across fields by 
path on the American pilgrimage, that is, to the cottage of Ann 
Hatheway. Soon a little shower came up, from which we found 
shelter under some trees until it ceased. It left behind the 
peculiarly sweet perfume that rain on the grass produces. 

Mary Taylor Baker, descendant of Ann Hathaway, and pres- 
ent custodian of the cottage in which she lived and was courted 
by Shakespeare, and many things pertaining to those two and 
their lives, met us in the garden, where she was plucking flowers 
in expectation of her daily visitors. The old lady's years num- 
ber eighty-one, all but ten of which have been spent in her pres- 
ent home, viz., the Ann Hatheway Cottage. We were very fort- 
unate in being early in the day, and the only callers at the time. 
The old lady was in the vigor of the early hour and very atten- 
tive to us. We sat on the seat where William and Ann sat, and 
stood by the bed that is more than four hundred years old. 

We each in turn sat upon the stone that Dickens sat upon, 
when he wrote about the cottage, and we did not hurt the stone. 

The old lady told us of General Grant's and General Garfield's 
visits, and opened the register, where she keeps conveniently a 
mark, and showed us the name of the rich American, as she 
called him, — C. Vanderbilt. 

Her father sold the cottage fifty-four years ago for three 
hundred and forty-five pounds ; the memorial trustees bought 
it a couple of years since for three thousand pounds. Mary 
Taylor Baker sold them the old furniture at the same time for 
five hundred pounds, and they appointed her and her son-in-law 
trustees. 

The cottage is built of heavy timbers framed together and 
filled in with brick, stone, and mortar, as used to be the way in 
this country. It is about sixty-five feet long, thatched roof, and 
is one-story with attic chambers. We accepted the old lady's 
offering of flowers, and came home by the road route. 

I must cease. We have this a. M.July 3d, letter of the 20th. 
Were very glad to get it and hear from home. Much love to 
all friends. 



n» EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 



LETTER IX. 

WiLMCOTE, Warwickshire, /z^/y 3^, 1894. 

On our return from Ann Hathaway's Cottage, we took in the 
Shakespeare birth-house. It is situated on Henley Street, one 
of the business streets of the town, which undoubtedly was 
one of the business streets at the time it was occupied by the 
Shakespeare family. I conclude this for the reason that the 
house is a double one, one part of which was used by the 
family for their business. The father was a dealer in wool and 
leather. The plan of the house and the heavy timber and 
frame work are as they were in 1564, when the poet was born, 
and in the restorations that have been made, the original has 
been imitated and retained as much as possible. The house 
and contents are national property. 

The museum contains many things, personal property of 
Shakespeare, the desk he sat at in school, his signet ring, and 
many other things. The custodians are two women, one for 
the museum and one for the residence portion. I don't think 
they know anything on earth but the story they repeat, and 
only know that as a parrot knows the things he says. They 
rattle it off without periods, inflections or intonations, as the 
noise comes from a machine. I think, when they selected cus- 
todians, the authorities must have been afraid that there might 
be flirting, but there is not any danger now. 

We saw the Shakespeare Memorial Theater, the Town Hall 
and its fine paintings, the old house, bearing date 1596, which 
is known as the Harvard House. One of the family, whose 
name it carries, founded our Harvard College. We walked 
through, around and about the quaint town and learned it. I 
can do better with it than with London. I can carrv, as it 
were, Stratford in my mind, but I cannot London. 

A friend of ours, in Chicago, whose birthplace Stratford is, 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. /I 

gave us a letter to a relative of his, Mr. James Cox, a citizen of 
the town, whom we found to be a very substantial man of ad- 
vanced years. 

He was very polite to us, and invited us to his home, where 
we had afternoon tea. We met his wife and four of their twelve 
living children, there being three dead. Their children are all 
adult men and women. Mr. and Mrs. Cox, yet hale and hearty 
people, live in the house in which their courting was done, and 
in the yard is a cedar tree, which is fifteen inches in diameter, 
which Mr. Cox planted. We saw a bit more of English home 
life, and spent two hours very interestedly. 

Tuesday, July 3d, we did not do any hustling. Breakfasted 
at nine o'clock, went about the streets, looked in the windows, 
bought a few views, sat in the little park on the bank of the 
Avon, read brief dispatches in the London papers, telling about 
the great American railroad strikes, and received and read 
home letters of the 20th. At eleven o'clock the writer com- 
pleted and mailed Letter No. 8. At one-thirty we lunched, and at 
three left by carriage to come here, and are now occupying the 
room in the Swan Inn, which we walked here to see about 
on Sunday evening. 

Wilmcote is the name of the post-office. From where the 
inn stands, four roads branch off among the fields in different 
directions ; and on and about the corners thus formed stand 
the stone and brick, tiled and thatched-roof cottages of the 
farm hands and farmers. 

The place is typically English, and our stay here will un- 
doubtedly furnish us a good look at English farm life, and the 
life that the farm-hand lives. 

On arriving this afternoon, having dropped threppence in the 
palm of the hand of our white-haired and bent old driver, and 
having directed the barmaid to hand him a glass of " hale," 
which went where thousands had gone before it, we went out 
and loitered along one of the roads. We sat down on some 
convenient stones, while I went through the daily operation of 
trying to balance my cash. It did not balance — it never does. 
Pounds, shillings and pence are too much for me. Dollars 
and cents I understand. There is much fun in my efforts and 



•J2 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

universal failures, for my partner. We went on, my partner 
gathered marguerites, poppies and eglantine roses until she had 
all she wanted, her hands were full and they were sticking in 
her clothes. 

We came to a bent, shriveled old man, who was cutting 
weeds and thistles along the side of the road, with the largest 
sickle that I ever saw. " Who employs you to do this work ? " 
I asked. " The road surveyor, sir." " It is good work you are 
doing." "Yes, sir, they be going to seed soon." " How much 
pay do you get per day ? " " Two shillings, sir." " How many 
hours do you work 'i " " From half-past six to half-past five." 
My partner had more to say to him. He was very respectful to 
her. He worked very steadily, I watched him. 

While retracing our steps, we saw a woman plucking quanti- 
ties of magnificent roses from the bushes by her cottage. My 
partner began to talk to her, perhaps guilelessly, though there 
is room to doubt it. However, the result was that a fine assort- 
ment of flowers was passed over the fence to us. We squared 
the account by leaving a few pence, but the precedent was a 
bad one. Other cottagers saw the thing and promptly " tum- 
bled." More hands filled with flowers appeared, and we hur- 
ried from the neighborhood. How easy it is to square accounts 
in this country, if you have money. I wonder if there is a per- 
son in the kingdom, who would refuse a sixpence. I don't 
know about the Prime Minister, but certainly no person under 
him would make such a mistake. 

There are some nomads in the country, but not as many as 
we expected to see. We have seen one or two camps of 
gypsies, and we pass occasionally men and women traveling 
along the roads in pairs and carrying their effects, not as clean 
or well dressed as ourselves, otherwise doing about as we do. 
We see also, sometimes, vans, in which people live while trav- 
eling through the country pursuing their vocations. We have 
one with us here to-day. It is a very substantially built and 
well painted car- on the running gear of a wagon. It is well fur- 
nished with bed, cooking range, carpet and necessary utensils. 
A cart goes with this outfit to carry the material for the game. 
The management consists of a man and woman, a baby boy 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 73 

about three years old, and a dog. Their business is the game of 
Cocoanuts. Wires are stuck in the ground on the top of which 
is a ring, in which a cocoanut is placed. They are placed quite 
thick and the game is fairly fair. There are a quantity of balls 
to throw, and for a penny you can throw once. The cocoanuts 
that you knock off are yours. 

Last night (it is now Wednesday the 4th) the boys and girls 
of the neighborhood gathered to the number of thirty or forty, 
and patronized the game. They were a merry, happy crowd, but 
not as noisy as a like gathering would be in the United States. 

By referring to the high-class sketch, which is enclosed, you 
will see that immediately in front of the hotel is a triangular 
grass plat. It is there that the van stands, and where the game 
was carried on. I tried to get the van into the picture, and did 
put the tree in under which it stands, but found that it looked to 
be top down, so I took it out. My partner was very much inter- 
ested in this game, and when it ended she knew all about it; 
the number of pennies that were played in and the number of 
cocoanuts captured. To-day 1 interviewed the man to the extent 
of learning that business is dull with him, but on being near I 
discovered that there was a kind of Bedouin, Asiatic, Plaisance 
smell about the outfit that said, "pass on," and I passed. 

The Birmingham Post of to-day gives dispatches from Chicago, 
which indicate that you are having a terrible time with railroad 
strikers. Of course we cannot tell how bad it is, but I am much 
concerned, and would like much to know. The laboring people 
of the United States will yet be brought to appreciate the bless- 
ings which surround them. It may be done through civil war, 
but it will come, as I have said many times. 

We are afraid the situation is already terrible. We will con- 
tinue to search the papers for dispatches from the United States, 
which are always meager. 

The window to the left, over the sign, in the inclosed sketch, 
is the one to our room. My partner and I are both writing at a 
table placed before it, by the light of a candle. W^e are the only 
guests, and have been the only ones since our arrival yesterday, 
and I think this week, and I don't know how long before. The 
bar or tap-room does some business all the time, though not 



74 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

much. Now at nme-fiftee?t the people of the neighborhood are 
coming and going, exchanging greetings in the rooms below, sip- 
ping from mugs of beer and ale, and going over the country news. 
They are very quiet and orderly. Last night the place was as 
quiet as the tomb of Rameses after they took away the mummy. 

On the right, as you enter the main door, is our dining and 
sitting-room. It is well furnished and kept ornamented with 
flowers. On the left of the hall is the smoking-room. The floor 
of the hall is stone, as are some others in the house. 

We spent a long time to-day under the trees on the grass back 
of the house, by the side of the excellent vegetable garden. My 
partner was particularly gratified, when the young man came out 
there and commenced to pick peas. She thought she knew what 
that meant, and when dinner was served at one-thirty, it proved 
that she did. There were plenty of them, but it required a 
quantity. We have walked about and seen much of the cottag- 
ers in their comfortable, clean-looking stone and brick cottages, 
under their tiled and thatched roof s, and are learning much. It 
is all very interesting and enjoyable. To-day has been a very 
quiet Fourth. 

We have dispatches in the papers of this morning, July 5th, 
which tell us that troops, regulars and militia, are on duty in 
Chicago, but I infer that the strikers are not making much head- 
way. 

On the road from here to Stratford is the Dun Cow Inn. A 
funny little trap that excited my curiosity. It is about a mile 
and a half distant from our inn, the Swan. The story goes, 
that it was in the fireplace of that little inn, where the deer was 
roasted, which Shakespeare killed and stole, and for which he 
was arrested and tried before a magistrate. The killing and 
stealing, the arrest and trial, the automaton talking woman in 
the museum at Stratford told us all about, but she did not say 
anything about the Dun Cow Inn, or where the deer was roasted. 

While I sat in the tap-room of the little hostelry about ten- 
thirty this A. M., the kindly old proprietess told me all about it, 
and the barmaid stood by and entirely corroborated the story. 
They proved the story by the fireplace, and the road by which 
William brought the poached venison. I thought, to make the 



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EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMI5ER. 75 

stor\^ more binding, I would sketch the inn, which I did, and in- 
close herewith the picture. 

To make the picture complete, there are some things that 
should be shown. For instance, as you look along the road to- 
ward Stratford, there should be, where I have left nothing but 
grass, a row of fine large forest trees. I tried to get them into 
the picture and did put them in about six times. The last time 
I thought I had been eminently successful, but when I came 
home and showed the work to my partner, she laughed at the 
trees so heartily she nearly had a spasm, so I took them out. 
Directly across the road from the main door should be a tall post 
with the sign on the top. It was entirely too much for me. You 
must imagine the trees and the sign, and William coming down 
the hill, carrying the deer. The chimney and fireplace are built 
partly on the outside. You can see them, and, as I said before, 
the fireplace has much to do with proving the story to be true. 
You can see the wall of it in the picture. 

To the left of the road, looking toward Stratford, near the top 
of the hill in the path, which is shown as by the hedge, is where 
my partner investigated the fire-fly Sunday night, d'escribed in 
No. 8. 

A short study of the people and customs of this country re- 
veals plainly the rigidity of the barriers which separate the 
classes. You are not as forcibly shown this by the way one 
class treats and looks upon another, as you are by the conditions 
of the several classes, which are the result of centuries without 
change. For instance, the working people of to-day have come 
from ancestors, who for centuries were working people. There 
was nothing for them or their progeny but the places of work- 
ing people, hence ambition has dwindled until, if it exists at all 
to a degree to warrant an effort to improve their condition, it is 
only in individual cases, and they emigrate. The working peo- 
ple can only at best attain to the position of the middle busi- 
ness class, but they have been working and serving people for 
so many generations, that they have but very little natural busi- 
ness shrewdness. To be among them you decide that they are 
satisfied with their cottages, their flowers and their homely 
neighborhood life. 



76 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

The middle, business, and professional class, many of them 
make fortunes. They can go to Parliament, and can be elected 
to the local offices. They are educated, thrifty, and happy, but 
are no nearer the aristocrat in social standing than are the 
workers. It is from this class, the middle class, that change 
should be expected to come from, but they are satisfied. The 
aristocrats, of course, are satisfied with the existing condition 
of things, hence I conclude that radical changes in political and 
social customs are many years away. 

We go this afternoon to Leamington. I will close this. 



LETTER X. 

Warwick, England, July 7th, 1894. 

The London and Birmingham papers of to-day tell us of 
a condition of things bordering on anarchy in Chicago. They 
say that the World's Fair buildings have been burned, and 
railroad property also, amounting to millions of dollars. They 
say that Altgeld has raised the point of the President's right 
to send troops to Chicago ; altogether it shows a condition 
of things that must cause much concern to Chicago people who 
may be in Europe. I am very anxious about it and sincerely 
hope that the condition is not nearly as bad as the dispatches 
make it out. The London Post says that the McKinley Bill is 
the cause of the trouble. 

No. 9 was mailed at Wilmcote a short time before we departed 
from the Swan Inn. Before we started the people of the neigh- 
borhood, all of them working people, began to assemble at the 
Swan, on the occasion of their annual gathering, which takes 
place there. My partner and I went out on the green and had 
a look at the table which was being prepared under the trees 
to accommodate the party. It looked very inviting, as things 
to eat always do these days. Happiness seemed to pervade 
the whole place. I doubt not that they had a very enjoyable 



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EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 7/ 

evening. We will remember the Swan kindly, and especially 
the young proprietress, who tried so faithfully to make us happy 
during our stay. 

We walked to the station, a half-mile, while a red-faced, good- 
mannered boy, whom we thought too small for the business, 
wheeled our baggage. It was a hot day and the load big for 
the boy, but when the stuff was unloaded at the station, and he 
had his sixpence to turn in, and some pence which I told him 
to put in his own shoe, he went home along the dusty road 
happy. 

An hour and a half spent en route, some of which was used 
in waiting and changes, landed us here, where we are staying, 
at the Warwick Arms. We arrived at eight p. m. and found 
letters from different ones at home. And one containing 
papers from a lawyer, with instructions to place an acknowledg- 
ment on them and return to him. They pertain to business in 
which I am interested and the experience which they afforded 
will, if told of, illustrate some things as they are here. The in- 
struction from our lawyer told me to make the acknowledgment 
before an American Consul, a Notary Public, or some other 
officer having a seal of office. The proprietor of the hotel did not 
know whether there was a Consul from the United States here 
or not, neither did he know any Notary Public, neither did he 
know what officer would have a seal of office. He gave me, how- 
ever, the name of a solicitor (a lawyer), whom I went to see and 
who told me that there was no Consul nearer than Birmingham, 
and that there was not a Notary Public in this city of twelve thou- 
sand people ; that there was one in Leamington, distant four 
miles ; that the Mayor here has a seal of office, which he had the 
influence to bring into use if it became necessary. He told me 
however, that it would be a long operation to " bring out " the 
seal of the Mayor, hence I had better go to Leamington to the 
Notary. If I failed to see him, to return, and he would help me 
out. He made no charge and was very polite. A half-hour by 
tram-car brought us to Leamington, and the Notary knew fairly 
well what we wanted, and soon served us. I think he charged 
only his regular fee, which was eleven and six, two dollars, 
eighty-seven and a half cents, one shilling of which (twenty-five 



78 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

cents) was for the stamp. Twenty- five cents is the regular fee 
in Chicago for an acknowledgment. 

We went yesterday first to the cathedral, which, while not as 
large as many, is very interesting in the same way that they all 
are, and as I have told that story several times I will omit it 
here, and confine this story to the chapel of the Leicester family, 
which is an adjunct to the cathedral. I concluded that, in his 
own estimation, as great a person as any who has anything to 
do with that chapel, dead or alive, is the verger, who receives 
your " sixpence each, sir," and visits it with you. 

" Why, sir," said he, on seeing our names placed on the book, 
" I might claim relationship ; my name is Williams." He has 
learned his story so well, and undoubtedly having considerable 
of an opinion of his oratorical ability, takes considerable pride 
in showing it, and working off things, which are not in the his- 
tory. For instance, " This, sir, is the tomb of the great Leices- 
ter, Prime Minister to Elizabeth, and his Countess Lettice. 'E 
tried to poison her, but Lettice was too much for 'im." Why, 
we said, we did not know that to be the history. " It is not, 
sir, I got that from the Hantiquarians. I ask them, can I say 
that ? and they say to say it. It was this way, sir : — The Earl 
intended to poison the Countess, and prepared the draught, 
but she was watching him and knew what he was doing. 
When she returned the Earl was all ready to go to Court, with 
his parchments, and said, ' Ah ! Lettice, dear, give us the 
drink.' She did so, but gave him the drug, and took the pure 
drink herself. He died, and then she erected this magnificent 
tomb to his memory. There, sir, is the tomb and monument of 
the Earl's little son, the hunchback, poisoned by his order. Step 
up those steps in the chantry, sir ; be careful, the steps are worn 
and rou^h. This roof is the finest in Hinsrland. You see those 
two vacant places there, sir ? In them were gold statues, weigh- 
ing twenty pounds each. They were taken by Cromwell's men. 

They were great after gold. Here, sir, prayers used to be 
said regularly for the family, and a goodly sum was provided 
for it, but Henry the Eighth took the money. Henry was as 
bad as Cromwell after gold." 

" Here, madam, I always have the ladies go here first." 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 79 

" Why so," asked my partner. " Because this is the confes- 
sional ; the ladies should always go there first, ha ! ha ! Step 
in please, madam." And thus he went on. I was satisfied that 
he had as good if not better time than we. 

As we stood by Leicester's tomb, and saw his figure and that 
of his countess lying there, done in alabaster, I could not help 
wondering where the old sinner is now. There is much of 
interest in the chapel. It has been the burial-place of the 
Dudleys since early in the fifteenth century. We came away, 
leaving the verger while he was telling us of his service in the 
army and the medals he has. 

The Leicester Hospital was established by the Earl in 157 1. 
Not infrequently do men and women arrive at a condition, 
when, on looking back, they see skeletons that they have made 
of other people's lives and happiness, and on looking forward, 
they see Death with his sickle and a yawning chasm beyond. 
You have an excellent and vivid illustration of this in the death- 
scene of Fagin the Jew, in " Oliver Twist." Possibly the old Earl 
Dudley was in about that condition, when, by establishing this 
hospital, he thought to do something in palliation. However, 
he established the hospital to be the perpetual home of twelve 
old men. They can have their wives with them, while they live, 
but when the old men die the old women must vacate. Very 
near to the hospital we' came to a pump, around which were a 
bevy of children filling pails with water. The afternoon was 
hot and I was very thirsty. I asked one of the little girls for 
a drink. She said, " Yes, sir, if you will drink out of the pail." 
I was glad of the chance to drink out of the pail, for I felt quite 
certain if I got that pail to my lips, for once I would get my 
thirst quenched. I held it first for my partner, and then drank 
of the refreshing water to my satisfaction. 

After pumping more into the pail, and handing it to the 
little miss, we all went on happy. 

In front of the hospital we found the old men lounging on 
benches in the shade. We looked them over carefully. They 
looked very well and hearty, and not very old. I sized them 
up as a lazy lot. 

The chapel to the hospital dates long before Lord Dudley. 



80 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

It is built over one of the old Norman gates to the town. 
There are a number of things of interest, among them a chair 
"said to be Saxon and over a thousand years old. Another is 
a piece of needlework by Amy Robsart. In a large hall, the 
roof of which is supported by heavy timbers, is the following 
inscription, painted in large letters, on a round oak foundation, 
resembling much King Arthur's round table, save that it is only 
about one-fifth the size in diameter. 

Memorandum. 

"That King James first was right nobly entertained at a supper 
in this Hall by the Hon. Sir Fulke Greville, Chamberlain of the 
Exchequer, and of His Majesty's Honorable Privy Council, 
upon the fourth day of September, Anno Domini, 1617. God 
save the King." v 

We went through the garden and building, not forgetting the 
kitchen, in which my partner was much interested. She is 
usually interested in the kitchens. On leaving the place, she 
said that the face of the brother who had been conducting us, 
dropped at the smallness of the coin that I handed him. If it 
did, he said nothing. 

As we passed the dear old pump again, a child, whom I saw 
was entirely too littte was trying to fill a pitcher. What great 
satisfaction it gave me to fill her pitcher for her, and to take 
liberal toll ! Well, I had water enough that time. 

Referring to what my partner said about the brother's disap- 
pointment at the smallness of the coin, I will say this for the 
English people ; they are the best tradespeople I ever saw. 
They are absolutely never-failing in their attempt to get money. 
They are willing to give service and value, but they are at all 
times supplied with things, arguments, and resources to make 
you feel the necessity of parting with your money. Very rarely, 
if ever, is this done offensively. They will thank you, if you 
decline, if you drop them tuppence or a crown. Never, in the 
slightest degree, do they seem ruffled if you become so, but 
they will immediately desist and try the next one. 

The same ingenuity, thrift, industry, and patience, if prac- 



EUROPE FROxM MAY TO DECEMBER. 8 1 

ticed by our people, would result in bringing them in wealth 
inside of two decades. 

Warwick Castle dates from Saxon times. The oldest 
portion now standing, Caesar's Tower, nearly one hundred and 
fifty feet high, was built soon after the Norman conquest. 
The greater part of the building, however, dates with the four- 
teenth and fifteenth centuries. It is a magnificent feudal home. 
It is the home of the Earl of Warwick ; magnificent internally, 
and grand externally. Historically, the dreamer of the past 
could occupy days with it. Exquisite paintings, historical arm.s 
and armor, the helmet of Cromwell, the armor in which Lord 
Brooke was killed at Litchfield, the mace of Warwick the King- 
maker, etc. Grand halls, grand trees, cedars of Lebanon, 
planted by the Crusaders, a place of unending beauty and 
interest. 

Not by any means is Warwick without its traditions and 
legends. While you stroll through the magnificent halls, and 
are told the stories, by an intelligent guide, who appreciates 
their legendary character, you enjoy them without that feeling 
of derision, which, if repeated with different coloring, would 
make you shrug your shoulders and pass on. 

The stories of Count Guy of Warwick, his killing of the Dun 
Cow, of his immense size, of his armor and sword, which you 
see, of his going to Palestine, returning and living in a cave, and 
being fed by his countess, unknown to her, all become in- 
teresting legends. Nothino:, it seems, can be more interesting 
than two hours in Warwick Castle and grounds, unless it be 
Kennilworth. 

Saturday, July 8th, eight a. m. finds us en route to Kennil- 
worth Castle, distant from the Warwick Arms five miles. 
Through the town out into the>country the road winds through 
the beautiful fields and farms, the surface sufiticiently undulating 
to add perfection to the landscape, the always-perfect, ever- 
present forest trees, which show that they were planted by 
careful hands many years ago. Beautiful and magnificent are 
the only words. 

We pass through Leek-Wooten, a cluster of cottages and 
small inns and on to Kennilworth. We pass through the 



82 EUROPE P^ROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

century-honored village. En route we stop at Guy Cliiif, a 
beautiful and renowned old home, which we view at some dis- 
tance, and spend some minutes at a mill, which is yet making 
flour by power furnished by the Avon, and which has been 
L^rinding long:er than man can tell. It is said to be of Saxon 
date. It is very quaint and interesting, and the site is most 
picturesque. 

It is near here, in a cave, where the legend says, Guy of War- 
wick lived as an anchorite, being daily fed by the countess, his 
wife, to whom he did not reveal himself until he came to death. 
They two were buried in the cave. 

Kennilworth Castle dates from 1120. It went through many 
changes and vicissitudes, finally becoming royal property. In 
1563 it was presented by Elizabeth to the Earl of Leicester. 
Leicester greatly enlarged and improved it and the grounds, 
spending immense sums; and in 1575 entertained Elizabeth 
and her court ; the magnificence of which Scott's beautiful 
story has told every school-boy. 

Cromwell presented it to some of his officers, who destroyed 
it to get the contents and materials. After the restoration it 
became the property of the Earls of Clarendon, who still own 
it. We walked around the ruins, climbed on, through, and 
about them, not forgetting of course the little room which held 
Amy a prisoner, or the window from which she saw the fire- 
works in the entertainment made for the queen. We looked in 
the place where the grotto is represented to have been, in 
which the story says Elizabeth found Amy, after the cruel 
treatment by the Count Varney. We did it all thoroughly, and 
parts the second time, and at twelve o'clock went to the little 
inn, the King's Arms, in the village, and had lunch. 

The King's Arms is where Scott stopped and made a sketch 
of the castle ruins. The lunch was adequate and so were our 
appetites. At one o'clock, rested and refreshed, we started for 
Stoneleigh Abbey, distant three miles, the home of Lord 
Leigh. 

Our route was much of the distance through paths through the 
fields and the park of the estate. Stoneleigh is another of those 
regal homes, of which there are so many in this country. I esti- 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 83 

mate that hundreds of acres are devoted to parks and pleasure- 
grounds. The mansion, erected during the last century, I esti- 
.mate is about the size of the Woman's Building in the Columbian 
Exposition and is filled with art, armor, arms, books, and 
beautiful and rare furniture. 

The vegetable and flower gardens furnished much interest to 
us, particularly grapes that they were growing with artificial 
heat. They were much larger and finer than any I had ever seen. 
Pears, cherries and plums they train against the wall, like we 
do grapes and hops. That looked very funny to us. It is 
done to save land space. We heard of the mushrooms growing, 
and we did not get away until my partner had seen them. 

It was about half-past three, when we had finished Stoneleigh. 
We were then four miles from Leamington, with no conveyance 
but shank's mare. We had frequent rests, and the distance did 
not seem too much. During the afternoon several little showers 
visited us, against which the trees furnished us shelter, aided 
by our umbrellas. 

During these tramps we are kept in a constant state of expect- 
ation, owing to the crooked roads and the undulations of the land- 
scape. We cannot see at any time but a short distance along 
the road, owing to the bends, and the easy hills all about make 
the landscape view very easy for the vision. 

I conclude that the roads were established by the early foot 
and bridle paths, which eventually were made permanent by 
the operations of government. Here the people were first, and 
followed by government. In our country government went 
with the people and established its roads and landmarks. 

The roads soon wore away, the beautiful country w^as behind 
us, and at five o'clock we were in Leamington, having tramped 
by road since breakfast twelve miles, and much over Kennil- 
worth Castle and Stoneleigh. 

The horse-car soon landed us at the Warwick Arms, where 
we quickly routed a good dinner. The memory of July 8th, 
1894, will always be pleasant. 

Sunda}', July 9th, three p. m. We have dined. My partner 
went to church and I have written this tiresome narrative. At 
six-thirty we go to Birmingham for a day, thence into \\'ales. 



84 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 



LETTER XI. 

Queen's Hotel, Birmingham, yij^/v 9th, 1894, 

After completing and mailing No. 10 in Warwick yesterday, 
we went out for a walk, and went down and had another look 
at the old castle. Our stroll took us to the ruins of the bridge 
over the Avon. It has been in ruins since the time of 
Cromwell. It is not known whether Cromwell's men destroyed 
it, or whether the lord of the castle had it done as a matter of 
safety. It has not been rebuilt, and the vine-covered ruins of 
the heavy mason work tell of the fierceness of the Puritan war. 

The mill near by, which once made flour for the castle people, 
sleeps quietly as it has for many years, and the water ripples 
under the wheel as it has for centuries, but the whirr of the 
stones does not respond. 

At six-thirty we left Warwick for this city. At Coventry, 
nine miles, we changed cars, waiting forty minutes. The country 
is almost covered with cities : Leamington, about thirty thou- 
sand people ; Warwick, about twelve thousand, and Coventry 
with fifty thousand are from four to nine miles of each other. 
Then here is Birmingham, with four hundred and fifty thousand^ 
ten or twelve miles from Coventry, and so it goes. It seems to 
be a country of cities. Coventry is famous for ribbons, watches 
and bicycles, and for the story of Lady Godiva, immortalized 
by Tennyson. Our Exposition had an imaginative picture of 
Lady Godiva. 

The city or town, received its independence in the eleventh 
century from the Earl of Mercia through the heroism of his wife. 
See Tennyson's story. The memory of Lady Godiva is kept 
alive by an annual procession. We reached this city about 
eight-thirty, and found letters from home dated June 24th, 25th, 
and 27th. 

Letters are very acceptable, though they, as these, bring sad 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 85 

news. We have expected every letter from home to tell us of 

Mrs. C 's death, yet when the news came, it seemed no less 

sad. To-day it has been constantly with us and spoken of 

many times. Mrs. C was not old, was one of us, was near and 

very dear. For many years our little circle has not been com- 
plete without her. Our home has been hers, and her home has 
been open to us. My partner grew from girlhood into woman- 
liood under the same roof and at the same table with the 
deceased friend, and she cannot yet realize that she will not 
l>e one to welcome us home from our travels. Our sympathy 
and unqualified kindly feeling go out across the ocean to the 
old comrade, who has lost the messmate who was so dear to 
him, and who has so faithfully done her part in the campaign 
of life, covering nearly a third of a century. 

Very sincere sympathy and kindest of regards to Captain 

C ; while in the memory of the happiest days of our lives will 

we always see his faithful wife and our sincere friend. 

Birmingham is a modern city in appearance. We remarked 
immediately on being in the street this a. m. that it looked 
like home cities. The new buildings, the modern architecture, 
the cable cars, the arcade and the people look new and Ameri- 
can. 

We were really surprised at the apparent familiarity of every- 
thing about us. There have been many changes in streets and 
buildings during the last quarter of a century. Modern things 
have replaced the old ones ; modern customs are in vogue, and 
wherever they may be Americanism creeps in. For instance : 
We called for water at the table and iced water was served us. 
The dining-room looks quite American, the elevator seems like 
home, and the electricity now to write by, perfectly blissful. 

The talk you hear tells another story. A young man in 
directing us said " go straight through the harcade (meaning 
the arcade), and then -you wall find the cable trains We 
sauntered leisurely through the arcade, which is two squares 
long, and were much pleased with it and the shops. When we 
came out we were at the cable road. The cars are not run 
in trains, but are run singly. They and the track are not as 
wide as ours, and the car runs much slower. The cars are 



86 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

double decked. We rode on top through the jewelry district, a 
district devoted to the manufacture of jewelry and other light 
articles. 

When the cars are full and the seats all occupied, they are 
labeled "full ", and no more passengers are admitted. There 
is not any hanging on by the toe and finger nails here. What 
happiness there would be in Chicago under a regulation like 
that ! St. Peter's business in turning away Chicagoans would 
radically decrease, we imagine. The conductor uses a bell reg- 
ister, and gives you a ticket, which he punches. An inspector 
follows soon and sees if all have tickets. This is to detect dis- 
honesty. We conclude from this that our dishonesty among 
conductors came from the mother country. 

While walking, my partner stopped suddenly and stepped 
into a little shop, where they sell butter and cheese and eggs. 
" What is that in the window ? " " Cream Cheese, madam." 
" Please let me taste it. Oh, I know what it is, and it is deli- 
cious. Please hand me that piece. Here, Mr. Williams," and 
she handed me half. It was smear case, made into a cake 
and prepared with cream. We ate it to the edification of the 
shop people, and as we came out, my partner took a careful 
survey of the place. There is reason to think that she has been 
there again. 

The price of butter in the little shop was twenty-six cents per 
pound, and of eggs, twenty-four cents per dozen. Near by we 
w'ere interested in prices of other articles displayed in some 
windows. 

Wash suits for boys, six to eight years old, seventy-five cents 
and one dollar each ; cloth suits for same, one dollar and a 
dollar and a half each, three pieces to the suit ; men's summer 
woolen cloth suits, six dollars and twenty-five cents and up; 
seven fifty for a suit about in appearance like such as cost in 
Chicago twelve dollars ; men's trowsers, cloth, one dollar and 
seventy-five cents per pair. The above clothes for men to be 
made to order. Stiff felt hats from seventy-five cents to a dollar 
and a half. 

The above prices for clothing seem very cheap, and they are 
very much cheaper than we have seen before. We imagine 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 87 

that there is some reason for them, which is not displayed with 
the prices. I am entirely satisfied now that the same amount 
of money will do just as much toward furnishing a family with 
the necessary things, in our country as in this. Silks and 
many luxuries, on which the duty is high, cost more in the 
United States than they do here, but the working man and 
woman, and the man and woman who wants to economize, can 
use their money entirely as advantageously there as here, and 
in the United States they get one-third to twice as much and 
work one-third less time. 

We took another car, this time a long car, a double-decker, 
which was pulled by a noiseless and smokeless dummy. It 
took us out to the iron and heavy merchandise manufacturing 
district. We got off the car and walked among the mills and 
factories, and the homes of the workers. The hours for work 
are from seven until five. We were there at five o'clock, and 
saw many of t4ie people, men and women, go to their homes. 

They appeared fully as well, as cleanly and as well clothed, 
as the same class do in our city. They looked fully as thrifty 
and well kept, and their homes looked better kept and more 
comfortable than do the homes in the manufacturing cities of 
the same class in our country. A good many of the establish- 
ments are not running on full time, owing to the trade depres- 
sion. 

We found that it was going to take more time than we felt 
like devoting to it to pursue this matter further into details, 
and we also found, that for the purpose of obtaining quite 
thorough general knowledge of the condition of the factory 
people, we had done enough. 

I believe the great trouble with the working people in our fair 
country is general and universal worthlessness, laziness, lack 
of thrift, cussedness and intemperance. 

Another car of the same kind, but on another route than the 
last referred to, took us into a resident-district of the better 
class, and past Ashton Park. We left the car and investigated 
Ashton Park. A short walk among flowers and flowering trees 
brought us to a building, and we entered Ashton Hall. Dating 
from the fourteenth century, the site of Ashton Hall has been 



88 EUROPE FROxM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

the home of the Holtes. In 1612 Thomas Holte was created 
a barnoet by James the First. The baronet built the house 
during the years 1618 and 1635, and for one hundred and fifty 
years it was one of the stately homes of England. The loyalty 
to his sovereign cost the sturdy old baronet great sacrifices in 
lucre, and peace during Cromwellian times, as the battle scars 
on the old house shows, but he lived through them, and he and 
his successors, and their old home, occupy a place in history. 
The building and a small portion of the original park are now 
the property of the city of Birmingham, and used for a museum 
and park. The home is filled with things having historical and 
other interest, such as paintings, arms, armor, Doctor John- 
son's original dictionary, etc. Hours can be interestedly spent 
in the halls and corridors ; in one of the rooms there being this 
inscription : — 

" The King's Chamber. 

" King Charles the First slept in this room on the nights of the 
sixteenth and seventeenth of October, 1642, a week prior to the 
battle of Edgehill." 

One of the extraordinary appurtenances to Ashton Hall is 
the representative of the authorities of the place, whom you 
meet at the entrance. As you pick up the pamphlet history, 
lying handy, and marked one Id. each, you ask, " is there any fee 
to pay here ? " " No, sir, entirely free." You dropthreppenceon 
the table, which he picks up, saying, " as my pay is but two 
pounds two (ten dollars and a half,) per week, all these little 
things help out a great deal," and you immediately find they do. 
They open him up, as it were. 

Here are a couple of samples : — " Has the madam plenty of 
nerve, sir ? " " Oh, yes, she is all right. Why do you ask ? " 
We are, then, in the room where the grand stairway lands. 
"You see this," and he points to a very large oak chair, the 
back straight and fully six feet high, and three wide, a large, 
straight and square chair standing close to the wall. " This 
room was once wainscotted to match that chair. Now mind, 
madam," and he pushed the old chair, which rolled along, dis- 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 89 

closing the open entrance to a closet, and a grinning skeleton. 
" Here you have the skeleton in the closet, ha, ha." " What does 
that mean .? " My partner asked. " Oh, it came from a medical 
college. You see here on this grand fireplace the coat of 
arms ? " " Yes." " Well, you see in the coat-of-arms a hand ? " 
"Yes." " Funny how coats-of-arms are made up. They say 
that James First wanted some money, and offered some baron- 
etcies for three hundred pounds apiece. Three hundred 
pounds of English money was a good sum in those days. 
Well, there was some land to go with one of the bar- 
onetcies, and two of the baronets wanted it, so they agreed to 
row across the water, and the first one to put hand on the land 
should have it. Well they rowed, and O'Neil, seeing that he 
was going to be beaten, drew his sword, cut off his hand and 
threw it on the land. After that the coat-of-arms of O'Neil was 
a hand." 

Now I did not, or don't know, whether our friends the O'Neils 
know this or not, but I think they should be informed, and 
I think it would be a neat thing for the wife and daughter to 
mark the family linen with a hand. There is not any good in 
having a coat-of-arms that is not used. 

On returning to the city, we walked about the shops some 
more and spent an hour in the market. A large market house, 
divided into stalls, where meat, fish, fowls, vegetables, rats, 
cats, pups, and hundreds of manufactured articles are on sale, 
handy and ready. It is an interesting place. My partner 
lingered a long time among the dogs. 

Tuesday, nine-fifteen a. m., found us leaving Birmingham, 
entirely satisfied with the city. We size it up as a very active, 
pushing, modern city, where we think we could live contentedly, 
if we had occupation and friends. At ten o'clock we left the 
car at Lichfield, where we had two hours to spend. They 
were busy, but very enjoyable hours. 

Lichfield is the birthplace of one of our very good Chicago 
friends and the home of his boyhood. Three years ago my 
partner was there with him and his wife, and met members of 
his family and friends. We called on Mr. Hunt at his place of 
business, and were most cordially received and pressed to dine 



90 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

with him. Mr. Hunt spoke feelingly of his friends in Chicago, 
and expressed concern at the possibility of their unsafety at 
this time, saying that Judge G might be in particular dan- 
ger. Our calls were necessarily very short, though all enjoyable 
on account of the cordiality of the receptions given us, among 
them the one on the sisters of our friend. We visited the church, 

St. Mary's, in which the family of Mr. H has worshipped 

for many years, and in v/hich he and Doctor Johnson were 
baptized. 

The window placed in the church in 1892 by the Chicagoan, 
in memory of his parents, is extremely beautiful and tasteful. 

Not least, by any means, in interest was our short stay in the 
cathedral. Cathedrals are cathedrals, yet how very different 
they all are. Different in the effect produced on the one view- 
ing them. One will be massive and Norman and square in 
construction, without any ornamentation, carrying with its view 
to the observer its own somberness, while the next one, bearing 
date a couple of centuries after, will be made up of points, 
statues, carvings, and beautiful effects in colors, which genius 
produced in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Winchester, 
the first built in England, Norman, massive and plain was very 
impressive. Then came Salisbury, three hundred years more 
modern, cheerful and costly in details of ornamentation. St. 
Paul's impressed me as being heavy and gloomy. Westmins- 
ter as being nearer, than anything else possibly can, the concen- 
trated historical interest of ages. 

Now we have Lichfield, made up of the Gothic, that combina- 
tion of taste, industry and patience, with untold carvings and 
statues and beautiful features, peculiarly its own, of which we 
only had time for a glimpse, a taste. 

A short omnibus ride, hustle into the car, slam ! slam ! go 
the doors, tingle the bell, and we are off from Lichfield out into 
the beautiful fields, leaving behind us rapidly the quiet town, 
with its history, friends and Cathedral, and bearing with us 
lasting and pleasant recollections. 

At Shrewsbury, renowned as being the site of the battle of 
that name, fought by Henry the Fourth in 1403, where " Sir 
John Falstaff fought a long hour by the Shrewsbury clock," 



ELIROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 9I 

and also renowned for the good qnality of its cakes, we had din- 
ner. My partner sampled the cakes. At four-thirty, having 
followed for many miles the crooked and stony course of the 
Dee, we arrived at this little town, Bala, in the middle of Wales, 
and surrounded by enormous hills, and we are staying at the 
Plascoch Hotel. 

We had abundant time for a walk, and to see the little stone- 
built town, after which we returned to the hotel and retired early. 

Wednesday, July i ith, commenced raining. I went out alone, 
my partner, not liking to walk in the rain, remained in and 
made repairs. Soon the rain sent me in, and I sat in our room 
at the hotel and made the sketch which I enclose. It means 
two houses, you may not understand. 

In the afternoon the rain had ceased and in its stead we had 
bright sunshine, and at three-thirty we went out. The village 
is at the north end of Lake Bala, which is a half mile wide, 
and three and a half miles long ; the largest sheet of water in 
the principality. The outflow from the lake is down the River 
Dee by way of the Vale of Llangollen, up which is the route of 
the railway which brought us here. We had no place as an ob- 
jective point, yesterday, our business being to see the lake, the 
mountains and roads and fields. 

" The first turn to the right, sir, brings you straight to the 
lake." Such were the instructions, and such they always are. 
•' Go straight ahead," yet there is not a straight road (scarcely) 
in the United Kingdom. We found the lake, passed around the 
end, and loitered along the road, which goes by it, to the other 
end on the opposite side from this. On our left were mount- 
ains, the sides of which are not very rugged, but are built on 
and cultivated. The lake was on our right, and across it were 
more mountains of the same character. The walk was easy, 
the road being along the foot of the mountain, with but little 
hills to climb. The size of the lake being so small, we had 
sufficient altitude to cover it, and much of the valley with the 
eye, affording one of the most magnificent of views. 

The green mountain sides, platted into fields, dotted with 

clumps of trees and occasional buildings, under the many shades 

'which" the sun and clouds made, produced scenery which it 



g2 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

seems impossible to improve. We feasted upon it and lingered 
along until we were half way to the far end of the lake, as near 
to the village of Llanuwchllyn as we were to Bala. We went 
on, knowing that as we had the railway with us, we could re- 
turn by train, if necessary. We went by little brooks, which 
trickled down out of the mountain, and frequently stone homes 
of cottagers built right by the roadway, and on the same level 
so that to pass in at the open doors and stand on the stone 
floors, did not require any elevation. Sometimes even the 
stone floors were below the level of the road. 

These little stone houses look very old and primitive. Many 
of them I could not have entered without stooping, and without 
stooping could not stand under the eaves. Stone walls, tiled 
roofs and leaded windows — they tell of centuries of time. The 
sun was gradually and surely reaching a point when it would 
be lost behind the mountains on the opposite side of the lake, 
but we went on and finally found ourselves at a collection of 
cottages and small buildings which make up Llanuwchllyn (you 
may name it). Intending to return here by train, we went to 
the station, but just before reaching there a train left in each 
direction. The station-master told us that the next train would 
go at eight-ten and it was then six- ten. Being at the end of 
our journe)'-, and having nothing to do, we decided to eat, hence 
went to the Goat Inn and had supper. Now please don't con- 
found this inn with the one which I enclosed a picture of. The 
Goat Inn here referred to is in another town. 

We enjoyed the supper very much. My partner had a bowl 
of milk, warm from the cow, and plenty of bread. It went. 
After supper we concluded .we would walk back, which we did 
by the opposite side of the lake from the one we had walked. 
The sun was not visible where we then were, save that it 
lighted the tops of the mountains across the lake, and away to 
our right. Finally it disappeared entirely, and the greater part 
of our return trip was made in the twilight. It was the most 
beautiful walk I ever experienced. The hour, the road, the 
lake, the calmness and everything was perfect. We reached 
the hotel at nine-fifteen, having tramped eleven miles. 

As we walked along, we were surrounded with innrrmerable 



o 

d 

W 







EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 93 

rabbits, which were out of their burrows hunting their supper. 
At ten o'clock it was not yet dark. 

We are not pleased with the people of Wales, as we were 
with the English people. They are not as cleanly or well 
dressed, and there is not the cleanliness and order in their 
homes. The children are dirty and ragged. 

At a building being built in the town, I interviewed a hod- 
carrier. His pay is seventy-five cents per day; the mason's is 
one dollar and twelve cents. Ten hours is a day. 

Williams is the ever-present name. There are Johns, Georges, 
Ezekiels, Jameses and Hughs. As my father's family came 
from Whales in the way-back time, these family names are 
suggestive. I will not explore the roots of the family tree — 
ignorance is sometimes blissful. 

We don't know where we are, or where we are going, because 
we cannot pronounce the names. Here are some samples : — 

Cerrig-y-Drudion, Blaenau Festiniog, Bettws-y-coed, Llan- 
fairfechan. 



LETTER XII. 

Bettws-y-coed, Wales, July i^th, 1894. 

It is now Saturday, five-fifteen p. m. After mailing No. . 1 1 
Thursday, we went out for a little ramble about the village, and 
in the country roads. We went by the Green, Bala Green, 
where the people, old and young, of one of the churches were 
having a little outing. We watched them some time, and again 
I was impressed with the quiet methodical way they went about 
enjoying themselves. They don't pitch into their fun with the 
noisy abandon that we do at home. 

At Birmingham Sunday night last, we had another instance 
of the sobriety of the people. We arrived there late in the 
evening, so that by the time we had our supper, and had read 
our letters, it was well on towards ten o'clock. 

We went out into the streets, and soon came to a crowd of 



94 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

people being addressed by street preachers. We mingled with 
them for a little time, and there I was very much impressed 
with the orderliness of the people. They stood and listened 
respectfully, or moved off. There was no talking to annoy the 
speakers, or those listening. It was very different from what a 
similar meeting would be in Chicago. It was a well-dressed, 
orderly crowd, treating the preachers as though they had rights, 
which were entitled to respect. 

Our stay in Bala was restful and very interesting. The 
quaint ways and customs of the people are a study. For 
instance : — The town crier appeared before our hotel, rang a bell 
and made a speech. On inquiring, we learned that a purse had 
been found, which could be had, etc. He was notifying the 
people. Thursday it was quite cold, we thought, but the people 
did not seem to think so. 

The wind blew hard, making considerable waves and white- 
caps on the little lake. Though dressed warmer than we dress 
at home this time of the year, we shivered, hence while it was 
yet daylight, we cut our ramble short, returned to the hotel and 
went to bed to get warm. 

As I remarked in No. ii, the people are not as well dressed 
and orderly as the English people, and don't compare favorably 
with them on several accounts. They remind me much of the 
Irish. Whether Ireland spilled over into this country, or 
Wales into Ireland, I don't know, but there are indications of 
mixture. Miss Davis, the proprietess of our hotel has a head 
so red that it would warm a room, but her blarney and other 
characteristics are all Irish. Blarney pervaded the establish- 
ment, yet they treated us very nicely, made us very comfortable 
indeed, and presented a moderate bill. 

Friday, at nine-thirty a. m., we left Bala for this place. Our 
route yet remained up the Vale of Llangollen. At Blaenau 
Festiniog we transferred from the London and Great Western 
Railway to the London and North Western, and waited two 
hours. As you come up the Vale the size of the mountains in- 
creases and becomes more rugged. At Blaenau we were in the 
midst of mountains immediately about, out of which immense 
quantities of slate is quarried, and on account of which the 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 95 

picturesqueness of the mountains is very much injured. The 
waste of the slate is thrown down the sides, ruining their naturally 
beautiful appearance. The quarrying of slate is a very impor- 
tant industry. 

After leaving Blaenau, we passed through several tunnels, one 
very long. While we were in it, the poor lamp that had been 
arranged to light our compartment showed signs of going out. 
Well, now, it only took my partner two seconds to get a candle 
and light it. You will not find her unprepared for the dark. 
We arrived here at Bettws-y-coed about one o'clock, and are 
stopping at the Gwydyr Hotel. 

After dinner we started out and thought we would break the 
monotony of tramping and have a carriage. We arranged with 
a nice old man and a lame horse at three shillings (seventy- 
five cents) per hour. Our ride was up the valley by the side 
of the river Conwa}^ and by a digression to the Fairy Glen, a 
most romantic place, where a stream splashes about amongst 
immense rocks, shaded with high perpendicular walls and over- 
hanging trees. 

The Valley of the Lledr, which we followed for several miles 
to Dolwyddelan Castle, is most beautiful indeed, and wild and 
romantic. Dolwyddelan Castle is a bad ruin, only one of the 
towers being left. It is situated on the mountain very high above 
the road. We climbed up to it and went into the old tower, 
up the steep stone steps to the top and walked around on the 
battlements. 

It dates from the eighth century and was the birthplace of 
Llewellyn The Great, one of the Welsh Kings. IJewellyn was 
the son of Edward of the Broken Nose, who, on account of his 
deformity, lost the throne and retired to this castle, where his 
son was born. We returned to the hotel at seven o'clock, not as 
well satisfied with the drive as we usually are with our walks. 
We dined, retired, and slept sound. It was a little too cold to 
be entirely comfortable riding. We slept on a feather-bed and 
our covering was heavy double blankets, a spread, and sheet, on 
top of which we added some of our clothing. We have had the 
same kind of bed and covering ever since we arrived in Eng- 
land. 



96 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

To-day, Saturday the 14th, we went down the valley, using 
our own conveyance — shank's mare. We started at nine-forty- 
five and went to Gwydyr Castle, the Welsh seat of the Earl of 
Ancaster. The place is famous as being a beautiful old Welsh 
home, and the home of Baronet Sir John Wynn, who was very 
prominent in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. He was 
successful in money-getting and in introducing steam and other 
improvements ; and the story goes that he oppressed those with 
whom he dealt, and the superstition is said to live yet, that 
the spirit of the old gentleman lies under the Swallow Water- 
fall in the neighborhood, " there to be punished, purged, spouted 
upon, and purified for the foul deeds done in his days of nat- 
ure." He died in 1626, seventy-three years old. Whether the 
old man is boiling in the caldron of the waterfall or not, mat- 
ters not to us who visit his old home.. We are just as much 
interested. 

The quaint rooms and furniture, set after set of heavy carved 
oak two and three hundred years old, tell of elegance and cost 
to manufacture, that we of to-day know nothing of. The walls 
are covered with Spanish ornamented leather, and the wood- 
work, oak, very massive and most magnificently carved. The- 
family motto is pointed to with a show of pride by the stately 
woman servant who escorts you and accepts your sixpence. 
It is in the room of Sir Richard, which dates 15 1 1. It is in Latin 
and means "neither proud nor afraid." 

There are very many things having historical interest and 
value accordingly. You are shown the chair used by George 
the Second, and another by Peter the Great of Russia, a foot- 
stool of Queen Caroline's, needlework of Mary Queen of 
Scotts," etc., etc. I must not forget the drinking cup of James 
the Second, nor the dishes of Charles the First. 

Before leaving this story, already too long, I want to mention 
the magnificent cedars of Lebanon, which are in the grounds 
and most indescribably beautiful, and a yew tree which they 
tell you is more than four hundred years old, and wonderful 
beyond telling. It is perfectly round and perfectly cone-shaped, 
about thirty feet high, and about the same in diameter at the 
ground. The surface of it, is absolutely smooth without opening 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 97 

or indentures, and, resembles exactly a wooden, green, painted 
cone thirty feet high and the same in diameter at the bottom. 

We leave the stately old Welsh home and go on to Llanrwst 
and lunch at The Eagles. We work a good hole in a joint of 
lamb and consume a quantiy of accompanying articles, rest a 
time, and again take up our march. We look over the little 
town, the name of which I cannot pronounce, and cannot spell 
without a copy, and commence our walk home on the opposite 
side of the river and valley from the one we had come. The 
tramp has been easy, the scenery magnificent, the day perfect, 
and we are at home at five o'clock, having walked ten miles, 
making one hundred and eleven that we have tramped over 
British roads, not including the many miles walked in parks and 
cities and private grounds. 

Sunday, July 15th, 1894, we went out at ten-thirty for a con- 
stitutional, and walked to the Swallow Falls, and the Miner's 
Bridge on the Llugwy River. There is much made of the falls, 
yet in our country they would not rank high. The stream is 
very rocky and romantic, and the falls pretty. It is in the basin 
of these falls that the spirit of Sir John Wynn is supposed to 
be kept boiling in the cold water. We did not see anything of 
the old man. 

The place belongs to his descendant, the Earl of Ancaster, 
whose castle we visited yesterday, and of which I told you earlier 
in the letter. 

On leaving the road to go down to the falls near by, we were 
notified by a sign-board, that the public were allowed to visit 
Swallow Falls without charge, by order of the Earl of Ancaster. 
This called to our attention the vastness of the man's landed 
estate. Yesterday we were at his castle, which is six miles 
from Swallow Falls, and the day before we were at Dolwyd- 
delan Castle, also on his estate and seven miles in another 
direction. He lives here but little, preferring to spend his time 
in his castle in England, or at his hunting-place in Scotland. 

We returned to the hotel at twelve-thirty and had luncheon. 
Our constitutional was a walk of five miles. This is a most 
lovely place to visit and rest in. There seems to be no busi- 
ness but to take care of the visitors. The place is quaint, 
7 



98 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

clean, and cool, surrounded by mountains, at the confluence of 
three rivers and a corresponding number of valleys. Our hotel 
is excellent and moderate in charges. Coaches run from here 
to the many places of interest, and their horns can be heard at 
all hours, except to-day, Sunday. 

At table to-day we met an American, who is Consul at Car- 
diff in South Wales. He is traveling about with his family. 
I had an interesting little talk with him on American affairs. 
Of course he talked from a Democratic platform, but he sees 
things as I do, and as I have for some time. He says that 
the prices of labor in the United States will, before very long, 
be adjusted on a basis that will allow of manufacturing there so 
cheaply that the products can, and will, be sold in Europe. 
He says that the English people see this, and I have been led 
to think they do from some things that I have seen in England. 
In talking with Professor Smith and his friends in Oxford I 
saw they were very familiar with the American labor question, 
and admitted that it was the only obstacle in the way of our 
manufacturing cheaper than they can. 

The importation of foreign goods into England is now re- 
ceiving the attention of Parliament. The business is growing 
very fast. It is possible that it will be a long time, and possi- 
bly never will it be particularly profitable for our manufacturers 
to sell their products in Europe, but I am satisfied that it will 
not be long until America will be manufacturing so cheaply 
that Europe cannot sell us goods of the kinds we manufacture. 

The English people are just beginning to see that they are, 
and have been entirely wrong on the matter of the American 
tariff. They now see, when the idea of high tariff is dying out, 
that it was the saving agent to their manufacturing interests, 
for it kept up American labor. Now they see the wages of 
American workmen coming down, and with it they see the writing 
on the wall ; not only the end of their American market, but 
they see America a powerful competitor with them. 

Monday, July i6th, 4 P. m. at Carnarvan. We left Bettws-y- 
coed this morning at eight-forty-five, having had two and a 
half most delightful days there. It is but a short ride down 
the side of Conway River and Bay to Conway town and Con- 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 99 

way Castle. It is said of Conway, that if a person goes there 
to reside, and sets foot on a certain stone on the Quay, he 
will never leave the place again. Conway Castle was our first 
objective point, and oh, how interesting and beautiful it is as 
an example of the heroic times seven hundred years ago ! 

The exterior view of walls and turrets and towers and battle- 
ments is yet quite unbroken by the works of time ; and were it 
not for the work of railway people, Conway Castle would look to 
the American tourist about as it did to its besiegers, who nearly 
starved the garrison and its builder, Edward First, during the 
last years of the thirteenth century, save that there is possibly 
more ivy on it now than there was then. Conway Castle was 
completed by Edward First in 1284. It could tell much of the 
history of the United Kingdom if it could talk. In 1646 it 
was defended by Irish whom General Mytton had tied back to 
back and thrown in the river. That is the way they served the 
Irish in those days. It is situated on a point of land extending 
into the river. The walls are embattled and are from twelve to 
fifteen feet thick. Around the walls built in and with them are 
eight round towers, each forty feet in diameter and much higher 
than the main part of the wall. On the top of each of these 
again were originally a smaller tower, extending higher. There 
are none of these smaller upper towers left now, but their effect 
must have been magnificent. We viewed the ruin from below, 
-and on the outside, and from the inside and from the top. 

We viewed the town and fields below us from the arrow holes 
and battlements, and stirred up the jackdaws, who by hundreds 
dwell in them and form the present garrison. The jackdaw is 
a funny bird and interests me much. You see many of them 
have half domesticated. He is black, save that he has a few 
gray feathers on the top of his head, making a gray topknot, 
and in size he is about like our tame pigeon. He is not a 
characterless creature by any means, will fight for his rights 
and belongings and dinner ; and when annoyed, as we evi- 
dently annoyed them to-day, he will let off a demoniac squall 
that will nearly raise your hair. He will strut along the wall, 
and look at you from a squinted eye, which tells that he is up 
to stealing his dinner, or cheating at cards. 



100 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

We met a young man on top of the castle. I said, " Those 
birds are jackdaws, are they not, sir ? " " Yes they are," said 
he, and musingly he remarked, " I don't think they are natives 
of Wales." " Why do you think so ? " I asked. " Because," 
said he, " it goes that Welshmen are honest, and those birds 
are rascals." I said, " I judge you are a Welshman." " Yes, 
I am." 

We came down from the battlements and had a special look 
at the King's Tower, and the tower of his great Queen Eleanor. 
There are many monuments in England in memory of Queen 
Eleanor, some of them marking the route of her funeral cortege. 
One, for instance, in front of Charing Cross Station, London. 

The banqueting hall in Conway Castle is one hundred and 
thirty-five feet long, Conway has about thirty-five hundred 
people and is a walled city. The wall is yet almost entirely 
intact ; we walked nearly around it. Some places being on 
the outside, we were among the stables of the cottagers, and 
there were evidences to the vision, and auricular and nasal 
organs, of cows, pigs and chickens, but we went on and saw the 
walls of Conway. The city is nearly all yet within the walls. I 
estimate the area of the enclosure to be about forty acres. 

Our route from Conway was along the shore of Beaumaris 
Bay, in the distance being the Irish Sea. We changed cars at 
Bangor, from where we ran south and are now on Carnarvon 
Bay, with St. George's Channel in the distance. Carnarvon, 
at the Prince of Wales Hotel, is our location until to-morrow, 
when we go to Hollyhead, thence by steamer to Dublin. 

It has rained much of the time to-day. It was raining hard 
when we went to the station this morning, and it has rained 
much of the time since. It rained when we were in Conway, 
and was raining when we arrived here. 

The story goes that it rains much in Wales, and the story is 
right. A despairing tourist thus wrote in the visitor's book in a 
hotel in Bala, where we were last week : 

" The weather depends on the moon as a rule, 
And I've found the saying to be true, 
For at Bala it rains when the moon's at the full 
And it rains when the moon's at the new." 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. lOI 

As poetry it compares as favorably as do my sketches, but tells 
the truth. 

Carnarvon and its castle. — This city has ten thousand 
people and is another of the walled cities. Like we did at Con- 
way, we have walked round and about it quite thoroughly, 
studied its quaintness, and looked at the buildings and things, 
which tell of many centuries. The little low buildings, the nar- 
row streets and the people who dwell in them, interest us much, 
but we don't like the people as well as we do the English. They 
are not as cleanly and they are not good-looking people. 

By the way, allow me again to refer to the Williams. I have 
always heard that the name was Welsh, although my father's 
father came from Ireland. We are convinced now that the name 
is Welsh. You see it every place you look. John, James, 
George, Hugh, Joseph, Thomas, and all other kinds of Williams. 
And what we see that I have noted particularly, and called my 
partner's attention to are the great number of men who have 
the characteristics in looks of my father and his brothers. They 
are like them in figure, in walk, and in pose ; the features are 
the same and so is the hair ; they wear their hats as did my 
father and his brothers, and the same kind of hats. I have not 
a shadow of a doubt of my ancestry. We must leave the coun- 
try before I am drafted. 

Carnarvon Castle is pronouced by judges to be the finest 
castle in Great Britain, except Alnwick. It covers between two 
and three acres of land, and is magnificent and majestic. The 
work is, like Conway, that of King Edward the First, and was 
carried on and completed by his son, Edward Second, the first 
Prince of Wales. 

The first thing you see, on passing over the moat and enter- 
ing the arch, where the portcullis used to fall, is a stone tablet, 
which gives the names and the dates of birth of the seventeen 
Princes of Wales. They commence with Edward of Carnarvon 
1294, and end thus far with Albert Edward 1841. 

By the way Albert Edward has been here with the princess 
and two of their daughters only last week. The town shows 
signs of the decorations, and the big time they had. There is 
a great fight going on in Parliament to disestablish the Church 



102 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

of England in Wales. There is much interest being taken in 
the question, and on it members of Parliament will be elected. 

I think the Prince's visit had some politics in it. Of course the 
Royal family must be much interested in legislation affecting the 
Church of England, especially such legislation as tends toward 
disestablishing it. They gave the Prince and party a great ova- 
tion here. Luncheon was served to the party and others to the 
number of three hundred, in the court of the ruins of Carnarvon 
Castle. The old woman, who meets you at the gate and sells 
photographs, and collects " fourpence each, sir," told my partner 
all about it. How the Princess accepted a doll, which she gave 
her ; how the party walked from the square in the town hard by, 
and how she offered the old lady her hand on departing, and 
how as they went upon the boat at the quay, the Lord 
Lieutenant offered the Princess his hand, and a common sailor 
did the same, and how the Princess accepted the assistance of 
the sailor, etc. Rulers could not have more loyal subjects than 
has Queen Victoria, nor could their families be more highly 
spoken of than is the family of the Queen. 

The first Prince of Wales was born in Carnarvon ; not, however, 
as many think, in the castle. If I were to write all the nice 
things that I could about this magnificent and stately ruin, I 
might detract from Conway and others. The exterior walls are 
quite perfect and free from ivy. Its immense size makes it very 
imposing. Some black sheep pasture in the court, and climb the 
steps, and roam through the towers as high up as they are not 
prevented by the gates. W^e went higher than the sheep do, 
but the intricacy of the plan, and the passageways for the sol- 
diers, and the embrasures for the arrowmen were more than 
I could understand, or comprehend. Good-bye, Carnarvon 
Castle, and good-bye, Carnarvon City. To-morrow at eight- 
thirty, we start for HoUyhead, and from there by steamer to 
Dublin, arriving in the Emerald Isle about six p. m. 

We hope to find letters in Dublin. I see by to-day's Liver- 
pool Post that the strike is about ended, and has failed entirely. 
Perhaps they will get tired of that business some time. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. lOj 



LETTER XIII. 

Dublin, /?//y i8, 1894. 

Number 12 was mailed in Carnarvon Monday evening, and 
it is now Wednesday evening. Tuesday morning at eight-thirty 
we left Carnarvon. Our route lay along the bay of that name, 
much of the distance quite near to the water. We arrived at 
Holyhead at ten o'clock, and left there at one-thirty. Holy- 
head is not an interesting place, hence we need not give it 
space here. We walked about until twelve o'clock, when we 
went to the steamer and had luncheon. A short time after 
one a train rolled along on the dock by the side of the steamer. 
The mail, passengers, and baggage were soon transferred, 
and we immediately left for Kingstown. The course was 
straight across the Irish Sea, and the trip took us exactly three 
hours. 

The voyage was not very enjoyable, because it was too cold 
for us. The English and Irish passengers did not seem to mind 
it. Some of the ladies sat on the deck in shirt waists, while my 
partner wore her cloth jacket and fur cape, and I an overcoat, 
and we froze. At Kingstown a train was waiting for the boat, 
and the eight miles to this city were soon covered. 

I see plainly now that I am not going to be able to write in 
the complimentary way about the people that I did about the 
people of England. While I must be truthful, it is going to 
seem queer to be uncomplimentary of home people. 

It may seem strange to you, yet it is true, and I am speaking 
not in jest at all, but we have felt more at home for the last 
twenty-four hours than at any time since leaving New York. 
Immediately on leaving the train last evening at the station, 
and finding ourselves surrounded with blathering Irishmen, 
seemed like landing in an American city. At the hotel we 
found Irish maids and Irish waiters. We went out to walk in 
the streets, and in turning off the thoroughfare into a side street, 



p 



104 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

we found the street full of children, dirty and ragged, while 
about the doors and steps lounged filthy women, some of whom 
were half tipsy. I remarked to my partner, " This looks like 
home." To-day we walked along a street devoted to the 
cheapest and dirtiest kind of shops. Laziness and dirt pre- 
vailed, yet I think there is another country, but only one, where 
English is the language spoken, that can equal it in these char- 
acteristics, and that country is mine. There is not any doubt 
now in our minds where the American Irish come from. We 
have found the place and the place seems like home. 

I think if we had come here before going to England, we 
would not have noticed this feeling of familiarity, but having 
been there and then coming here, it seems as though we had 
one foot on home land. We have remarked about the extremely 
plain appearance of the crowd on the thoroughfares. Plain- 
ness in dress does not cover it. Common is near it. They 
are undoubtedly comfortably dressed, but uniformly common. 
To me an uninteresting, common, homely appearing people. 
Plainness rules ; the buildings are uniformly brick, and un- 
painted generally, and generally without any or but very little 
stone trimming or embellishment of any kind. They are quite 
uniformly four and five stories in height, and have the eaves 
to the street, and rain-troughs to keep the rain from falling on the 
sidewalks from the eaves. In many instances it is conducted 
down the outside of the building, and this on important business 
streets. You see but very few private turnouts, and few traffic 
trucks for a city of the commercial importance which we under- 
stand Dublin to be. 

The cabs are in need of paint and renovating, and so are the 
horses and drivers. Besides these there are the little Irish 
hackney cabs, a little two-wheeled thing that will carry four and 
the driver comfortably, but which you frequently see carrying 
six and the driver. It is a funny-looking animal. You sit on 
top of the thing with your feet extending down on the outside, 
and resting on a small platform made for them, and it swings 
and wabbles. As my partner siiid, " It is like riding on a wheel- 
barrow." It is the popular cab in Ireland. 

Thursday, July 19th. We feel that we have done Dublin quite 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. I05 

thoroughly, and at seven o'clock arrived here at Kildare, thirty 
miles from there. 

Dublin is the first city in Ireland. Belfast has as many or 
more people, but in the many things that are required to make 
a great city these times, Dublin leads all in the Island. 

Trinity College, Dublin University, was founded by Queen 
Elizabeth, and is a Protestant institution. The library has a 
quarter of a million volumes, and very many very old and very 
valuable manuscripts." There are usually about tweWe hundred 
pupils. As you enter the library, you see this inscription : 

"The officers and soldiers of Queen Elizabeth's army, to com- 
memorate their victory over the Spaniards, in the battle of Kins- 
dale, 1601, subscribed seven hundred pounds to the library 
fund." 

We were much interested in Dublin University; the examina- 
tion hall with its portraits, the immense library, the dining- 
hall of the students, the chapel, etc. 

Dublin Castle, the home of the Lord Lieutenant, when resid- 
ing in the capital, like the university, is situated in the heart of 
the city. We went through the state apartments, and the hall 
of the Knights of Saint Patrick in the castle. It dates from the 
thirteenth century and is a plain, brick, unattractive place, 

I should not drop the subject of the library of the University 
without mentioning the harp which is shown, with which is 
the tradition that it belonged to the Irish King, Brian Boroihme, 
who was killed at Clontarf in 1014. It is his reign that forms 
the basis of Thomas Moore's song, *' Rich and Rare Were the 
Gems she Wore." 

Saint Patrick's Protestant Cathedral occupied some of our 
time. It has an interesting church history, and was the church 
of Dean Swift. It also has a memorial to the memory of the 
Rev. Charles Wolfe, author of "The Burial of Sir John Moore." 
Wolfe died in 1823. The banners of the order of the Knights 
of St. Patrick hang in the choir of the cathedral. 

The Bank of Ireland, across the street from the University, 
occupies the building in which the Irish Parliament used to sit. 
The monument to Lord Nelsor, near by, is one hundred and 
thirty-four feet high, and is an imposing structure. 



I06 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

By tram car we went to Phoenix Park, which contains seven- 
teen hundred and fifty acres. Much of it is fine park and floral 
gardens, and much of it is uncultivated waste, apparently. It was 
in this park, near where we were, that Lord Frederick Caven- 
dish and Mr. Burke were murdered, May 6th, 1882. Near the 
entrance, and very prominent before you as you tug up the hill 
from the tram car, is the Wellington Monument, two hundred 
and five feet high, and resembling much our Bunker Hill Monu- 
ment. 

One of our tram car rides (all of which were taken while 
seated on top of the cars) took us to the suburb, Donnybrook. 
Donnybrook is honored by history, though perhaps it has not 
honor history. Donnybrook Fair has gone into history ; a 
rollicking Irish fair, which finally developed into an Irish bedlam, 
and which twenty-five or thirty years ago the authorities put an 
end to. But the place is there, and Donnybrook Green, now so 
placid and innocent looking, could, if it could but talk, tell many 
stories of genuine Irish bouts, to take part in which the sexes 
not infrequently mingled. We walked about among the little 
stone cottages in the neighborhood, which, like the Green, un- 
doubtedly antedates the fair, possibly for centuries ; but they 
could not talk. 

The children were too dirty and ragged to tell the truth, if 
they knew it, and the sun shone through patriarchal goats that 
were, with much melancholy, trying to fill up on the thistles 
that were growing among the rocks on the side of the hill. They 
did not take any interest in us or the story of Donnybrook, 
hence we walked on to another car route and returned to the 
city. We saw much of the city, its people, shops, things of note 
and the ways. 

As we look back at it, the memory is not altogether unpleas- 
ant. There are very many nice things that can be said about 
Dublino The main thoroughfares are very clean and orderly, 
there is no crowding, and quiet and order seem to be the rule. 
Were one to confine their sight-seeing to the principal streets, 
the parks, and things of note, they would have none but good 
thoughts of the city. But there is much of Dublin besides those 
things. There are three hundred thousand people, and when 



i 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. lO/ 

you get into many of their resident localities, you find dirt and 
wretchedness uncontrolled. 

I may be wrong when I say wretchedness. I doubt if there 
is wretchedness, for that would signify unhappiness with their 
condition, and I don't believe that they are unhappy, but are 
satisfied in their filth and ignorance. 

We went to the quay to learn about the boats from Cork to 
Liverpool. In front of some of the steamship offices we saw 
the sign, "To New York, i i6 o, including ship's kit." It 
means to New York, nine dollars. Some people were contem- 
plating the sign, and I could not help thinking, " God save our 
Country." 

The farther we go and the more time we spend in this country, 
the more convinced we become of the fitness and propriety of 
the present form of government for the country. I cannot 
help seeing the chaos that would undoubtedly result if, for in- 
stance, there was the political freedom that there is in our State 
of Illinois. It would be a queer country to live in. 

Now they can go just so far, and then they find in front of 
them that unflinching thing, which stands for order in spite of 
sentiment and musket balls, the British Government. It main- 
tains its Protestant Institutions, and insures order. Ireland 
owes much to the British Government, ridiculous as that may 
seem. 

The thing that caused us to stop here is the Round Tower 
that is here. It is a well preserved specimen of those queer 
things, of which there are so many in Ireland, and about which 
there is only speculation as to their origin and purpose. 

More than one hundred of the round towers have been dis- 
covered thus far in this country. How many more have disap- 
peared is not known. They have been found in all the thirty- 
two counties, but two. Their original height varies from fifty 
to one hundred, and more than one hundred feet. The one 
here is called Saint Brigid's, owing to the fact that the home of 
her saintship, and of her nineteen nuns, and her kitchen were a 
few yards from the base of it ; where the remains of the founda- 
tion of the kitchen are yet shown the tourists. Saint Brigid's 
Tower is one hundred and eight feet high, and is perfect ex- 



I08 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

teriorly, save that the conical top, with which they were univer- 
sally built, is gone, and has been replaced with an embattled 
top. It is about sixty feet in circumference at the base, and 
about thirty feet at the top The walls at the bottom are about 
five feet thick, and some less, say three feet, at the top. The 
door is about twenty feet from the ground, and you enter a 
chamber through this door, above which there are six others, 
and the final opening on the top. These chambers and the top 
are reached by ladders, which have flat steps and a hand-rail, 
and each chamber has an oblong hole for light and air. They 
are so situated that from some of them, in any direction, may be 
seen. I should correct this by saying that the top space or 
chamber usually had four windows. Owing to the fact that 
these towers were always situated very near to monasteries and 
ecclesiastical buildings, it is the accepted conclusion that they 
were used as places of refuge by the monks, in case of sudden 
attack. Theyhave been thought to be bell-houses, and also 
to have been used to display beacon lights from. 

It is said there is no better specimen in Ireland than this old 
fellow. We explored it thoroughly. The seven ladders were 
not too much for us, and we routed the jackdaws, who, as 
usual, sauced us. From the top we surveyed the Emerald 
Isle in all directions, and picked up some jackdaw feathers as 
trophies. 

Saint Brigid Catheral. — Please don't think that I have 
spelled the name wrong, for I have not. In 480 A. D. Saint 
Brigid, First Abbess of Kildare founded a nunnery, and a 
church was attached, which became a cathedral. Near to the 
church grew a large oak which gave to the cathedral the name 
Cild-dard, which means the " church of the oak," and this in 
time became Kildare, the name of the town. 

Near the church Saint Brigid's cell is supposed to have been 
situated. Here it was that her fire burned from her time to the 
Reformation, except for a short time in 1229, when it was put 
out by the Archbishop of Dublin. The legend goes on, but 
is too long for quotation here. 

The cathedral is now undergoing very extensive repairs and 
restoration. It is possible that of the present building there is 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 109 

nothing older than early in the thirteenth century, except some 
of the stones. The cathedral, the round tower, the remains 
of Saint Brigid's kitchen are enclosed by the customary wall 
that surrounded the ecclesiastical buildings. In the ninth cen- 
tury the shrine of Saint Brigid's, containing her body, was taken 
from here to Downpatrick, and there interred with Saint Patrick 
and Columbkill. 

To-day, the 20th, we walked three miles to a turf bog. Having 
seen little carts pulled by little donkeys in the streets of the 
town, loaded with turf, and it being one of the things to investi- 
gate, we walked out to the bog and learned all about it. The 
bog is a level field, covered with grass, the surface of which is, 
say two or three feet lower than the road. We saw the little 
stacks of the black turf and a man at work there. We walked 
over to where he was, and immediately a very hard pelting 
rain came on. We had no shelter at all save our umbrellas, so 
we crouched down under them on the lee side of one of the 
little stacks of turf. The Irishman was a very bad cripple in 
his legs, could not stand straight, hence it was natural or easy 
for him to crouch down, which he did, partly sharing my um- 
brella, while I interviewed him. He talked readily and told us 
all about the turf. The donkeys are about the size of small 
Shetland ponies, and they pull a cart that, is in corresponding 
size to them. They are driven by children and women. We 
passed many of them. The load they haul is worth about 
eighteen pence, or thirty-six cents United States. 

Before the rain let up enough for us to walk without getting 
drenched, we got very tired of our crouched position, and some 
wet. Finally, having dropped a coin in the hand of the poor 
crippled turf-digger, we hurried across the bog to a little 
cottage. A young and very prepossessing woman, having seen 
us, opened the door and gave us chairs on the stone floor before 
the turf fire, where we saw it burn and dried our clothes. It 
burned readily and made a warm fire, and it felt comfortable. 
The fire was on the level of the floor at the end of the room, 
and the smoke was caught and escaped through a large chimney, 
down which the light shone bright, and which projected out 
over the fire. The fireplace serves for cooking stove, as the 



no EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

crane and hooks told us. VVe had a pleasant chat with the 
hostess, who asked us a good many questions about America. 

We, in turn, asked her some questions, among others, what 
the ruin was which we had passed on the road out from the 
town. " A monastery, sir, which is as it has been since Cromwell 
let the monks out." Finally the sun was shining, and we took 
up our walk back to the town. 

This is a place of much history. In the Middle Ages it was 
the home of Irish Kings, and the Parliament used to meet here. 
There are many ruins about, some that we have seen, which it 
w^ould undoubtedly be interesting to study. 

The cathedral of Saint Brigid belongs to the Church of Eng- 
land, or, as they say here, as we learned in Trinity College, 
Dublin, " the Church of Ireland." That is the way the Church 
people say it here. The Catholic population here is twelve to 
one Protestant. 

Some who read this letter will remember that among a 
little party of our friends in Chicago, a year or two ago, we had 
a discussion, which grew out of an assertion that the writer 
made, that our white clover is the Irish shamrock. At that 
time we looked, into all the authorities, which were several, at 
hand, but could not positively decide the truth or error of the 
statement. We have been trying to settle the question. Here 
is what we have done thus far. Yesterday, while walking in 
the suburbs of Dublin, we saw a young man pulling weeds near 
us in a field. I called him to us, and pointing to a quantity of 
white clover, asked him if it was shamrock. " No, sir, sure and 
that is clover." " How do you know i\ is clover ? " " By the 
spot, to be sure." " What spot ? " " Just here this one," and 
holding up some of the clover, showed us a little light-colored 
spot, that you will find in the leaf of white clover. Said he, 
" The shamrock has not that." 

To-day we talked with the verger of Saint Brigid's Cathedral, 
a blathering old humbug, who said shamrock was not clover at 
all, at all. " I'll jist show yez shamrock," and we went into 
the Cathedral grounds, and right under my very nose he plucked 
several specimens of white clover, among them one of the clover 
blossoms, all of which he was willing to swear were true enough 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. Ill 

shamrock. Well my partner got him to select several pieces, 
which she brought home and put into a book to keep. After- 
wards, the landlady being in the room, she showed her the sham- 
rock, and she promptly said they were not shamrock, but 
clover. 

Later I met a priest, a very intelligent man from Dublin, who 
is here temporarily. He says shamrock is clover. It may be 
a little different from other kinds of clover, but the difference 
he did not know. He said, " Shamrock has the white spot on the 
leaf.'" He also said there was much diversity of opinion as to 
what the distinguishing feature of shamrock is, that it was a 
constant subject of dispute between the wearers of shamrock 
on Saint Patrick's day, each one accusing the other of not hav- 
ing the right thing. Now, I don't know how on earth we will 
ever get this question settled, but I am going to keep at it. If 
it cannot be settled in Ireland, where on earth can it be ? 

Ireland is Ireland, it is not England. It is not nearly as 
beautiful. The landscape does not compare at all. The coun- 
try is not nearly as well kept, and the hedges are neglected and 
the farming not nearly as well done. 

We go to Killarney to-morrow. It would not do to come to 
Ireland and not see Killarney. 



LETTER XIV. 

Killarney, y>//y 22d, 1894. 

Number 13 was mailed at Kildare yesterday, Saturday. It 
is now Sunday, 7 p. m. 

Kildare is the location of the Curragh, a great military encamp- 
ment, in which there is permanently a large force of soldiers. 
Yesterday was what they called field-day with the troops, and 
they were marching all about in regiments, occupying positions 
and then abandoning them and going through a kind of strate- 
gistic drill. The little town and the roads about were filled with 
well mounted, good-looking cavalry. But soldiers in the king- 



112 EUTIOPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

dom of Great Britain are not a novelty, you see them all the 
time. 

We spent some time walking about the town, and inspecting 
the little stone thatched houses of the people. They are the poor- 
est homes that I ever saw, yet we conclude that the occupants 
don't know how poor they or their houses look, or how wretched 
they seem. The landlords may have something to do with 
their wretchedness, but we have decided that the Irish are lazy. 
With indolence goes filth hand in hand, and it is so here. I 
believe their greatest trouble is laziness. 

Finally at twelve o'clock we left the little old town, with its 
soldiers, round tower, and Saint Brigid's Kitchen, and came to 
Killarney, arriving at six p. m. 

We have now traveled by day train diagonally across the 
Island from Dublin to Killarney, distance about one hundred 
and seventy-five miles, through as good as any, if not the best 
part of the country. As a thing of beauty I am disappointed 
in Ireland. It does not compare in that to England at all. 

Naturally I should say there was not much difference be- 
tween the two countries, but now, alas ! they are very different. 
England, go where you may, is the perfection of a beautiful 
landscape ; while Ireland has but little, very little indeed, to 
add to its green fields and hills. The hedges are gone or un- 
kept, the roads are dirty, and very rarely do you see fine homes 
or flowers. There are not nearly as many fine trees as in Eng- 
land, and the farming does not compare in neatness and care. 
The landscape looks as do the people, shiftless and slovenly. 

It is a country of ruins ; they are about you all the time. 
Ruins of old, old buildings, and ruins of modern ones ; roofless 
cottages and abandoned, dilapidated homes. I remarked to 
my partner, during the long ride yesterday, that in many of our 
states the landscape was much more beautiful. 

I abominate the cars of the United Kingdom. First, second, 
and third-class, I abominate all of them alike. We have tried 
all, and for a long time have been traveling third-class. Third- 
class costs considerably less than half price of first-class, and 
much less than second-class, and as the only difference is in 
the upholstering, and as there is not any comfort in any of 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. II3 

them, we think we are about as well off third-class as either 
first or second. The trains are well handled and the roads 
good. Some things I like much, but many not as well as our 
own. I like the locomotives, on some accounts, better than our 
own, but the baggage system and cars are abominable. 

Killarney. — At ten-thirty this morning my partner and I, 
two ladies and five gentlemen, besides the driver, started in a 
brake to make the trip to the Gap of Dunloe. The driver, a 
man, I should say, about thirty years old, by name, James 
O'Neill, we think is the greatest romancer that Ireland has 
produced up to date, and now, my dear people, in my opinion 
that places him on a high pinnacle among romancers. 

" There, leddies and gintlemen, beyont over the trase, there, 
is the home of Lord Kenmare. On the roight there on the hill 
beyont is Aghedoe, the ouldist burying-ground in all Oirland. 
By the soide, there, covered with ivy, yees will see one of thim 
round towers. On your roight, leddies and gintlemen, is the 
estate of Lord Headly. Over there is the chapel, and down 
there beyont by the road is the church that the ould man made 
an addition to. Wan day he would go to the chapel and another 
to the church. Finally he died, and the ould ooman used to 
sind his dinner to the graveyard. Wan day she asked the man 
who carried the dinner, if the ould man had anouirh. He 
answered, " Yes, plenty, of all but whisky — not enough whisky." 
Well, this man kept carrying and eating the dinners, and drink- 
ing the whisky, until the ould ooman died, and then he never 
could come down to common food again. 

" There yees see on the roight the lunatic asylum. A couple 
of years ago it was made bigger by an addition that cost eleven 
thousand pounds. Now they lock all the ould bachelors that 
they can catch up there, and if the ould bachelors have any 
money, then it is given to the ould maids. 

"There yees can see plainly the ruins of the house beyont 
there in thim faildes. Well, that was the home of Jeffry Lynch. 
He lased the land from the owner, and re-lased it to the tinents, 
and that is what we call a middleman, and many of thim 
middlemen are the hardest kind of landlords. Well, leddies 
and gintljmen, that house is the haunted house. It was this 
8 



114 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

way ye see. Lynch was a very hard landlord, and when the 
tinents failed to pay their rint, he evicted thim at once, and he 
kept on evicting thim until there would not anybody live on 
the estate, and they all cleared out and left it. Well, then. 
Lynch left, and finally he died. He could not get into heaven 
or purgatory, so he troid hell. The ould divil told him, if they 
admitted him, he would evict them all, so he could not get 
into heaven, purgatory, or hell, and he came back and stays in 
the ould house. Go on, ye lazy bastes ! 

" That mountain yees see there on our left beyont is Manger- 
ton mountain, twenty-seven hundred and fifty-six feet above 
the level of the say. On the top is a little lake they call the 
Divil's Punch Bowl. Nobody knows how dape it is at all at all. 
Wan day a gintlemen said he would find out, so he wint up 
there and tumbled in. Well, he was not heard from for' three 
days, and then he was in Australia, but he said he had not 
time at all to learn how dape it was. 

'• Now, leddies and gintlemen, we will soon be comin' to the 
mountain cavalry, thim fellows who will want you to take their 
ponies through the gap. It is entoirely for you to say whether 
you will ride a pony or walk. The distance through the gap is 
five Oirish miles, four and a quarter good English miles. Yees 
may have no fear about the ponies, they are perfectly safe, in 
fact they have much of the stuff of the fighting cock — they would 
rather die than run. And on beyont the cavalry we will come 
to what we call the Mountain Dew Women. They carry the 
mountain dew in bottles, and they will follow yees to get yees 
to buy drink. If yees drink, take the advoice of one who 
knows, and don't take much, if yees do, yees will think a 
shillalah hit ye." 

Well we finally came to the cavalry, about fifteen young men, 
mounted on quite good horses, which they very persistently 
tried to hire to us to ride through the gap. They followed us 
for miles, keeping right with us, begging all the time for us to 
engage them, and telling prodigious lies about the hardness of 
the walk. To our party they let three horses, one to each of 
the two strange ladies, and one to one of the gentlemen, who 
had a camera to carrv. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. II5 

Then we came to troops of beggar children, and the mountain 
dew women. One time I counted sixteen children in one 
troop, running along with the wagon begging for pennies. 

Let me say right here, that all of the people we saw to-day, 
men, women, and children, nearly all of whom were beggars of 
one kind or another, were well clad and perfectly clean. The 
children were barefooted and so were some of the women, but 
they were all perfectly clean and well clad ; the children's hair 
was in order and many of the young people were very pretty. 

They were the first respectable looking people that we have 
seen among the poor people in Ireland, and all beggars. This, 
however, is not the rule among the beggars, but the exception, 
and this exception, I conclude, is caused by the fact that these 
people beg entirely from, and meet daily, constantly, the tour- 
ists, who would constantly chaff them for being dirty, and it 
pays them better to be clean. They all speak among them- 
selves the Irish language. They speak English, of course, but 
they also speak the old Irish, as we find many do. 

But oh ! how they beg and follow us ; and importune us to 
buy their stuff, and to give them money, and they all have 
money. They are a great nuisance and annoyance. We had 
them with us for hours. We would offer them money, which 
they would agree to take and leave us, then they would take it 
and keep right on after us. 

But let us go back to the driver. We are now going up the 
mountain, the road being quite steep and very rocky. We pass 
little lakes, formed by bodies of water in basins in the little 
stream that runs by the side of us. 

" There are five of thim lakes, sir. They all have fish in but 
one, Sarpint Lake, sir. St. Patrick kilt the last snake in Oir- 
land there, and sunk it in the lake in a box, and that is the rai- 
son there is not any fish in it. Whin ye go by the lake, which 
will be after ye have left the wagon, ye will hear the sarpint 
hollowing to get out. 

" This lake now, leddies and gintlemen, is Cude Lake. In 
the ould language 'cude' is 'foot,' and because it is at the 
foot of the mountain, it is Cude Lake or Foot Lake. Now, 
leddies and gintlemen, some of thim girls up in the gap beyont 



Il6 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

will be tellin' yees that they want to make up five shillings to 
complate the marriage money, and most loikely the ouldooman 
will have five hundred good English sovereigns laid away for that 
same girl. 

"Yees see the waterfall. It is named Widow's Tears, and 
beyont up the hill is Maiden's Tears. They usually dries up in 
this country." 

Then he got down from his seat and with his whip ran after 
the scampering children and said to them, " Miginish ! Ma- 
ginish ! " or a word which sounds like that, and is the old Irish 
for go home. 

" Now, leddies and gintlemen, here is Danny Mann's cottage, 
which yees all have seen in the play, Colleen Bawn. Here, 
leddies and gintlemen, are some of the Kerry cattle. Yis, this 
is county Kerry." And there we saw some of the little black 
cows, not much larger than sheep, of which I never saw any 
before, save in the Exposition. They were picking grass from 
among the rocks. 

" Now we are at the cottage of Colleen Bawn, which is where 
he of the play lived, and here I lave yees, until yees go through 
the gap, and I mate yees at the ind of the boat-ride this aven- 
ing." 

Then we commenced our tramp up the mountain, followed by 
the innumerable beggars, the pests of the jaunt, and constantly 
meeting new relays of them. Where they live, I don't know, 
for there are not any houses to be seen, perhaps in caves, but they 
were all clean and well clad, and many of them well mannered. 

Then we came to two men, one with a bugle, which he played 
notes on, and which were echoed back to us very nicely by the 
mountain, then the other fellow fired a small cannon, and the 
noise was echoed and re-echoed many times. Their charge was 
a shilling for this diversion, which I handed to one of them, 
telling him to divide it with the other one, and we went on, but 
he did not divide. I made him return the shilling and instead 
gave each one sixpence. I told him he was an Irish mountain 
brigand. 

Then we came to a blind fiddler, who fiddled and sang Irish 
melodies, and it sounded well as it echoed away off in the valley. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 11/ 

He got some pence. Next some girls stood by a spring of nice 
cool water, which they dipped up and handed to us. Their job 
paid pretty well. I wish I could fly right up to that spring this 
minute. I would like some of the water. 

Women tried, and kept trying to sell us woolen stockings, 
telling us to encourage home industhry. Others told us we should 
do something for the poor of Ireland. America was the place 
where all were rich. I told one of them that I was cleaned out 
of change. " Faith, I'll change a sovereign," said she. " Yes," ^ 
said I, " you would change a ten-pound note." She laughed 
and kept right along at my elbow. " Sure, sir, can't you lave 
some money for the Oirish ooman ? " Said I, " I have been -. 
paying money to the Irish women for twenty-five years." " Faith, 
I believe you have, sir." 

After all they were a merry lot of beggars, and we will remem- 
ber them with some amusement. Finally we came to the head 
water of the little stream and left it ; then a little farther, and 
we were at the top of the gap, and a little farther, and we were 
descending on the opposite side of the mountain, and could see 
in the distance the Lakes of Killarney. 

My partner says it is easier to go down than up, and so we 
found it. While yet fresh and but little wearied, we came to 
the end of the tramp. The descent from the mountain being 
completed, we were at the upper end of the upper lake, where 
we met boatmen and a lunch, provided for us to be there on our 
arrival. The boats and lunch were sent out by the hotel people, 
who were managing the business for us that day. 

Before arriving where the boats were, we were each compelled 
to pay a shilling toll to the estate on which the lakes are located. 
They are on the Muckcross Estate, hence are private property, 
and you cannot get near them without paying toll. 

The Muckcross Estate is a vast entailed estate, owned by peo- 
ple by the name of Herbert. The present owner is in New York, 
earning a livelihood, he having incurred debts. The estate is 
in the hands of trustees, who devote the proceeds toward paying 
his debts, and that is where our shillings are supposed to go. 
When he dies, the estate and proceeds go to the following heir. 

At last we were in the boat, eating our lunch, floating over the 



Il8 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

quiet water, and there the beggars did not trouble us. In our 
country the boat would have been a fine electric or steam launch, 
but that one went with oars, being pulled by four Irishmen. 

I did not learn the size of the Lakes of Killarney, but estimate 
their combined length, the length of the three, the upper, mid- 
dle and lower lakes, to be fifteen to eighteen miles, and they 
vary in width from say a half to five miles. The lakes are con- 
nected by rivers, the principal one being the Long Branch, which 
is three or four miles long ; and in a couple of places there are 
swift rapids, down which the boat goes fast enough without the 
pulling. To go up requires pulling, indeed. Our ride on the 
boat was through part of the upper lake, through the rivers and 
middle lake into the largest and lower lake, and we landed at 
the ruins of Ross Castle, where the brake and Mr. O'Neill, and 
the horses and the dog were waiting to carry us to the hotel. 
Eleven miles was the length of the boat-ride. It, and the tramp 
and drives which we subsequently took, gave us acquaintance 
with the Lakes of Killarney 

World-famed as they are, you must allow us to speak of them 
in comparison. Much of our boat ride-took us among islands 
of rock, which stand up out of the water, say thirty feet high, and 
are covered with verdure, resembling exactly the Thousand 
Islands in the St. Lawrence, but of course vastly less in ex- 
tent. Then we go through the swift rivers and under old arches, 
and about historical things. And we have all about us the 
mountains from two to three thousand feet high, rising up from 
the sides and ends of the lakes, all majestic, quiet and magnifi- 
cent. The boatmen halloo and are repeatedly answered by the 
echo, and they point out the " Agel's Nist," and the " Divil's 
Punch Bowl," and other things to be known and seen. 

There is one feature, one thing that nature has done for the 
scenery of the Lakes of Killarney, that I have never seen any- 
thing like. The mountains are free from timber and are com- 
paratively smooth, and covered quite well with grass. When 
the sun shines on them, and its effect is influenced by clouds, 
they look to be covered with green velvet of different tints. 
This effect is constantly changing with the movements of the 
clouds and is very lovely. Other than this nature has furnished 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. II9 

no more loveliness to the Lakes of Killarney than to many, very 
many, yes, I may say a hundred lakes in our own country. 

In our country we have very many lakes equal in beauty and 
mngnificence, and vastly more extensive. Finally our boat 
landed at the ruins of Ross Castle, and as there appeared to be 
none of the party who seemed interested in it, my partner and 
I went with the rest directly to the wagon, and on home to 
dinner, mentally resolving to visit the ruins again, if possible. 

The distance put down in the little pamphlet, which prepares 
you for the jaunt by wagon, the walk and the boat is thirty- 
three miles. I think it is fully thirty. 

Monday we started fairly early with our own customary con- 
veyance, paid our sixpence each, and went into the demesne of 
Lord Kenmare. We walked by the mansion and through the 
grounds by the side of the lake for some miles, finally bringing 
up at Ross Castle, the ruins which we had hurriedly passed the 
day before. Ross Castle is supposed to have been built by the 
Normans. The first historical event of importance with which 
it is associated, is its capture by Cromwell's General Ludlow in 
1652. It was then the property of Sir Valentine Browne, an 
ancestor of the present Earl of Kenmare, or Lord Kenmare as 
he is commonly called, and mentioned above. 

This time there were no others to influence us, and we in- 
spected the ruins to our entire satisfaction. We climbed the 
circular stone stairway in the old tower, one hundred steps, and 
had a view of the lake, and the magnificent demesne, which con- 
tains thirty-two square miles from the battlements. The jack- 
daws are the only inhabitants of the castle now. 

The keeper of the castle, being an intelligent kind of man, 
and being of middle age, I thought would be a good one to talk to 
about the shamrock. So I asked him if he could find us some 
shamrock without much trouble. " Surely I can," said he, 
" and very willing I am to do it too. I saw some here jist the 
other day, and we will find it now." He stepped a few feet 
from the road leading to the castle into a lot of white clover and 
commenced to hunt. " This is what we call clover," we said. 
"Well," said he, " the shamrock is the pure green without the 
white spot in it." We all commenced to hunt for shamrock 



120 ♦ EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

and found considerable of it. My partner and I felt happy and 
walked home to lunch. 

Now, in selecting that shamrock we did what seemed to be the 
prevailing opinion as right, we hunted for and found those 
leaves that were without the white spot, yet I am satisfied that 
from the same root, that some of those which we plucked came 
from, there were white clover blossoms growing also. 

Well, we got to the hotel, and the people there told us that 
the stuff we had was white clover and not shamrock at all. 
Now we find the general opinion to be that shamrock is dif- 
ferent from white clover, yet when you ask any one to show you 
shamrock, he will go among the clover and commence to hunt 
for clover without the white spot in the leaf. If he finds an}', 
he will pronounce it shamrock. 

The thing that makes shamrock so interesting to the Irish 
people, is that S lint Patrick used it in preaching to illustrate 
the Trinity, by holding it up and showing how three became, or 
made, one. Now my partner and I have been working at this 
in a way which it is impossible to decide it by. If we find 
shamrock, or something that two people will agree is sham^ 
rock, it won't prove anything. 

The thing to do is to find some person who was present, and 
who knows just what Saint Patrick used. If we succeed, then 
this question will be settled. Now we will work a while on 
that line. 

After lunch we walked to Muckross Abbey. This is a very 
fine abbey and is'in quite good preservation, as ruins go, and has 
much interest about it historically. The distance from Killarney 
is given you by the car-men, who want your fare, as four miles. 
This I think is too much, but if we call it three miles one way, 
the tramp there and back will make our march that day thirteen 
miles. The present name of the ruin comes from the Muckross 
Estate, to which it belongs, and on which it is situated. The 
real name is " Irrllagh," which is the Celtic word meaning 
Eastern Pass. The Abbey is supposed to have been founded 
about 1340, and it flourished as a Franciscan monastery for 
three hundred years. 

To speak as did the Irish woman at Kildare, mentioned in the 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 121 

last letter, Henry the Eighth let the monks out about 1542. 
Queen Bess gave it to Captain Cullom in 1600, but during the 
next reign it became the property of the monks again, and con- 
tinued to be a monastery until 165 1 — 1652, when Cromwell let 
them out for good. 

We sp^nt some time very interestedly, climbing over and on, 
and walking about and through the walls and dilapidated 
cloisters. While we were there there was a party of Franciscan 
monks, one of whom is writing a history of the abbey. They 
were a jolly fat lot of fellows who would not make very good 
representatives of suffering Ireland. 

From the Abbey we went by the Friar's Walk, an avenue 
formed by beech trees, some of which are three feet thick, three 
feet above the earth. They were planted by the monks. The 
beech is a very slow grower; think of the summers and winters 
that have passed over those trees. The Friar's Walk took us 
to a hill, which was easy to ascend and covered with American 
shamrock (white clover), which we ascended and from which we 
had a most magnificent view. Then we walked back to the 
porter's lodge through the beautiful demesne, which Mr. Her- 
bert, the owner, cannot enjoy on account of his debts, and as we 
walked we enjoyed much the grand trees, the grass and the quiet. 

At the lodge we were delayed a little time until my partner 
could say a few words to a spotted pup, which I don't think 
knows enough to keep out of the fire. At last we were back in 
the town at dinner, and it was raining torrents. 

After dinner the rain had ceased, and the manager of the 
hotel, who wanted us to use a jaunting car, assured us that the 
rain was over, and as we still wanted to see another thing, we 
accepted the car for six shillings (one dollar and a half) and 
went to Aghadoe. 

Our driver was Mr. James O'Neill, whom you met in the 
earlier pages of this letter. Well, Jim had a splendid horse. 
The drive being long for the late hour, seven o'clock, he gave 
the spirited fellow rein, and we flew. Mr. O'Neill, turned out on 
further acquaintance to be a nice fellow. Whether he thought 
his auditors on this occasion would be critical, or whether he 
lacked the inspiration, which possibly the big load of passengers 



122 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

supplied him Sunday, I don't know, but he tempered the stories 
down very materially indeed. Jim is a good fellow. He says 
he came from one of the Kings of Ulster, and that our friend, 
Louis O'Neill, of Chicago, does also. Please notify O'Neill. 

Aghadoe is an old burying-ground ; Mr. O'Neill told us 
nine hundred years old. The ruins of the church show archi- 
tecture of a very early age. It was in two parts, being divided 
by a wall, and the story is, that followers of O'Donoghue and 
another chieftain used to worship there. Very near by is the 
ruins of a round tower. 

The altitude of Aghadoe is very great, very high, hence the 
view we had of the country, the mountains, and the lakes is 
magnificent. On our way home rain fell in torrents, but we 
were well protected, hence did not get much wet ; having waited 
under some thick trees until the worst was over. We got some 
wet, but not much. I don't think I ever saw a people who 
hated water as the Irish do. They don't want it at all at all, 
but they have much of it. It rains every day, we think, and 
there are many lakes and streams. 

We have made the acquaintance of a family, whom my partner 
visits here quite frequently. They are all very cordial and glad 
to see her every time she calls on them. Like all the people 
of the country, they are always ready to receive, and beg of her 
immediately upon her arrival. I am now speaking of a family 
of five yellow pups, which have access to the ground of the 
hotel, and are just the right age to be full of the old Harry. I 
stood and watched them for a while, having lots of fun at the 
expense of one little kitten, which is about half the size of 
the smallest one of them. It went all right as long as the cat 
was satisfied, but she finally got tired and turned on those dogs, 
and whipped the whole five of them in exactly one second. 

This is completed in Cork, Wednesday the 25th. No. 15 
will give the trip from Killarney to Cork, in which there was 
forty-seven miles' coaching. 

We have received here to-day very welcome letters. 

We go by steamer to-morrow to Liverpool, and intend to rest 
a few days in some nice place in England, where we will an- 
swer all the letters. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 123 



LETTER XV. 

Cork, Ireland, /z/Zj/ 25/y^, 1894. 

I HAVE just been to the general post-office with No. 14, and 
one by my partner to her mother. 

Promptly as planned, and as No. 14 told you was our intention, 
we left Killarney at nine-thirty a. m. yesterday, Tuesday, and 
it is now Wednesday, nine p. m. We had procured Gaze and 
Son's excursion ticket, which provided for coach ride from 
Killarney to Glengariff and Bantry via Kenmare and by rail 
from Bantry to this city, and thence to Blarney, where we in- 
tend to go in the morning. The party, when all seated, filled 
two charabanc wagons, the big wagons with the seats across on 
top. They were fillod by picking up the excursionists, all 
tourists, at the different hotels. 

At O'Sullivan Hotel, the last one, and situated some two 
miles from the town, and a long distance from any other hotel, 
we picked up a party of seven women. They all belonged to 
the same gang, and were commanded by one of the party, a 
kind of Colonel. She had been abroad before and she let it be 
known immediately.- When the conductor, who arranges all 
the tickets at that last place, came to our coach, and who does 
not see us thereafter, the Colonel called for seven tickets, 
amounting to about five pounds, and handed him a twenty- 
pound note of the Bank of Scotland to change. Now of course 
that was a convenient thing for any man to do out there in the 
woods, two miles from town. Besides this, the Bank of Scot- 
land notes in Ireland are at a discount, which the Colonel was 
surprised at. Well, that little business of the twenty-pound 
note took forty-five minutes, and cost a great deal of talk. We 
admired the patience of the conductor. 

Now I don't know how I ever came by my very bad temper. 
I know that my dear father and mother would have sat through 
those forty-five minutes with complete complacence, but I know 



124 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

my face looked like Lake Michigan under a storm, and my 
partner fairly sneezed with the sulphur that was around about 
in the atmosphere. Think of it ! Forty-two miles to Glengariff, 
all the way a mountainous road, and we due there at five 
o'clock and it was then eleven. Think of the horses, and the 
threatening weather, and the open charabancs. 

Well, we felicitated ourselves with the decision that they were 
English women and not Americans. Were they ? Well, I think 
not. After a time, when we were crawling up the mountain, 
and my steam had gone down, and the sulphur had disappeared, 
I joined in the conversation, and remarked, " I decide that you 
are English ladies." "No, we are Americans, but we have 
been abroad so much that we speak like the English, and are 
frequently taken for English." "Where is your home?" 
" We have been living lately in Philadelphia, but our home is 
in central Pennsylvania." Well, they kept it going about Lon- 
don, Paris, and the Continent until my partner put in a word or 
two about Florence and Rome, when they shut up like clams. 
We heard nothing more from them. I decided they were what 
might be called Oil-heiresses. 

There wer« two modest retiring English ladies sitting with us 
and whom we got acquainted with. They sized up the crowd. 
Oh dear ! can't we do anything to keep such people at home ? 
At last we were off and going at a good pace behind excellent 
horses. 

Our route lay along by the side of the lakes and up the side 
of Mangerton Mountain. Much of the time the ascent was 
quite steep, making the big wagon-load of people a heavy drag 
for the horses ; while at other times the road would wind in 
and out the curvations of the mountains, from which we fre- 
quently had most magnificent views of the lakes and valley. 
The. scene was constantly changing, owing to our constant 
changing of position, and was an uninterrupted subject of in- 
tense interest during the entire day. 

This ride took us along the whole length of the lakes on the 
opposite side from that which we had driven Sunday^// route to 
the Gap of Dunloe, hence we have now seen the country the 
entire length of the Lakes of Killarney on their two long sides. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 125- 

and have gone through them by boat. We feel that we have 
done Killarney very satisfactorily. 

But back again to the charabanc and the journey. Our 
route is known as the Prince of Wales' route from Cork to Kil- 
larney, owing to a visit of his Ro3''al Highness made some 
years ago, when he went by this route and popularized it, as 
his visits do every place he honors. Nearly all the way we had 
ragged, dirty beggar children running after the coaches and 
begging for coppers. They got some of course, and, of course, 
encouragement to keep at the business. Occasionally "we went 
through tunnels, and when going down hill, our speed some- 
times was so high that we felt thankful for the strong stone 
wall which lined the road on the down side of the mountains, 
which in many places is very precipitous. All of the time there 
were many sheep that roam over and live on the grass that 
grows abundantly on the mountains, and there were a good 
many of the little Kerry cows. 

Enormous rocks all the time in extraordinary formations, 
ruins constantly, springs of water, little streams, and many 
little cascades, 

Kenmare, the Lansdown Arms, we stopped for lunch, time 
for leaving there two p. m., and half the distance to Glengariff is 
covered. Lansdown is Lord Lansdown, whose estate is at Ken- 
mare ; Kenmare is on the estate. There are some tweed mills 
there, and the town is a little dirty Irish town, and that covers it. 

As we proceeded, we found that the weather was becoming 
more threatening, and finally the feared rain came. Now a 
•charabanc is a first-rate vehicle in dry weather, but not the kind 
that I would recommend to my friends to go out in the rain 
with, and then if the wind blows a gale, as it did on the occa- 
sion referred to, the trouble is doubled. Both rain and wind 
caught us soon after lunch, while going down the mountain 
at a lively pace. Umbrellas .? Yes, entirely too many of them 
for they turned wrong side out in just two seconds. Now to be 
on top of a charabanc, which is loaded with people, on the side of 
a mountain, in a bad rain and wind storm, and half of the people 
trying to turn their umbrellas right side out, is an experience 
to be remembered. 



126 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

Now to help out this business, I had carefully put my part- 
ner's rain cloak into the bundle in the morning, and the bundle 
was locked in the boot. We had plenty of waterproof blankets, 
so I took one of those and put over my partner, squaw-fashion, 
and she did not get a particle wet. The storm made plenty of 
fun, and we all laughed at the ridiculousness of our situation, 
the whole situation, until we were tired. At five-fifteen we rolled 
into Glengariff, and filled the little Bellevue Hotel so full of 
guests that I think the proprietor is grinning yet. 

Lord Macaulay calls Glengariff the fairest spot in the British 
Isles, on account of the beautiful bay and glen and mountains. 
It has been the subject of much writing, both prose and poetry. 
The Bay of Bantry is very beautiful. What a lovely place it 
would be to spend a winter at, if it were not in Ireland ! 

After dinner we went out in the rain and walked to Crom- 
well's Bridge, of which two of the three arches are standing. It 
was built by Cromwell's order in an incredibly short time ; the 
story goes in an hour, but that was impossible. 

We did not give Glengariff much time, not as much perhaps 
as we should have, considering the renown it has for beauty 
and interest as a place to stay in, but we were tired of the rainy 
weather, and were determined to try to get away from it. So 
the next morning at seven o'clock we were again seated on the 
charabanc and were en route for Bantry, where we would take 
the cars for Cork. The distance from Glengariff to Bantry is 
eleven miles, which makes the distance from Killarney to Bantry 
fifty-three miles by coach, and not forty -seven as I stated in the 
last. 

The route lay around the end of the Bay of Bantry, and is 
just as beautiful as heart can wish for. The water, the rocks, 
the trees and the green hills, among which the road winds, 
form a combination about which poets sung, and on account of 
their inability to reproduce, artists can know their insignificance. 
Though it threatened much, the rain held off, and the lovely 
ride was completed with entire satisfaction for all, unless it was 
the coachmen, whom I think received but small fees. We 
noticed that the Oil-heiresses did not deal out fees with a 
lavish hand. The cars were waiting for us and we were 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 12/ 

soon in them, and rushing on toward Cork, and it rained 
torrents. 

Eleven-thirty found us in Cork and pointing out our baggage 
to an old Paddy, with a little old cart, and a little old donkey, 
he loaded it and we followed him to the Windsor Hotel. 

Our first errand was to tlia bank for our mail, where we got 
the letters mentioned in No. 14. Then we had lunch and walked 
about town and among the shops until the afternoon was well 
spent, when we went to our room, stopping en route to engage 
passage on the steamer of the next day for Liverpool. 

The next morning, Thursday, July 26th, at eight-fifteen, we 
went to Blarney and Blarney Castle by rail, distant eight miles 
from Cork. And now my dear relatives and friends, when you 
hear Bobolink Americans, who flit through Europe, stopping to 
see the things of interest while the locomotives are being changed, 
and fresh horses harnessed twittering about what they did ; that 
they kissed the Blarney Stone, etc., please call to your minds 
this true little story. 

We went to Blarney Castle, paid our " threppence each, sir," 
and climbed the old spiral stone stairs, including all of the one 
hundred and eight steps. We walked around the battlements 
to the side where the Blarney Stone is. My partner had de- 
clared her intention to kiss the sure-enough Blarney Stone, but 
I had said nothing, thinking I would declare after seeing the 
stone, what it meant. The Blarney Stone is situated on the 
outside wall near the top. You are supposed to kiss it from the 
walk around inside the battlements. When you get up there, 
you find a hole fully twenty inches wide, and four feet long be- 
tween where you stand and the stone. The stone being on the 
outside of the hole and fully sixteen inches below where you 
stand. The hole leads to the ground outside the castle. The 
only way the feat can be done is by lying on your back, and be 
pushed out over the hole and bend down the sixteen inches and 
kiss the old magic producer of humbug. There is nothing you 
can hold by save the square iron bars, which run up and down, 
and to which you can hold with very poor security. My part- 
ner studied the situation carefully, and said, " I don't think I 
will do it." I said, " I think it is a perilous thing to try, but if 



128 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

you want to do it, I will take Ixold of your ankles, and you can- 
not get away from me." But she decided of her own self not to 
try it, and you will know from that it is not an easy job. 

You may accept with allowances the stories they tell you of 
kissing the Blarney Stone. The ruins, which are called Blarney 
Castle, were once part of the castle of the MacCarthys, Princes 
of Desmond. It dates from 1446. The stone called the Blar- 
ney Stone is inscribed with the date 1703. The authenticity of 
the stone is in doubt. The castle is at Blarney town on the 
Blarney river. Oh ! Blarney, Blarney, — we will leave you to 
to your jackdaws and other simple tourists. The view from the 
battlements, and the trees and grounds are beautiful — good- 
bye. 

Cork. — British Ireland and American Ireland boiled down, 
condensed, and containing all the smells intact. Ireland would 
not be Ireland without Cork, but Cork is Ireland multiplied. 
Cork is not in the North of Ireland, which qualifies the resi- 
dents as being above the ordinary Irish, but it is in Southern- 
most Ireland and is Irish. 

V\'^e walked through Corn Market Street, a street devoted to 
the market. In the street, all over the roadway, were piles of 
old clothes, old furniture, crates of chickens, hobbled geese, an- 
chored goats and hungry dogs. By them stood people, usually 
women, waiting for purchasers. There are very few things that 
you can find in the homes of the common Irish, that were not for 
sale in that street. All worn and dilapidated, and dirty. The 
donkeys, the most patient things on earth naturally, all looked 
hungry and tired. The look and melancholy appearance of the 
bony goats indicated that they were dreaming of their pastures 
of thistles and stones. The people were happy. They talked 
and blathered glibly. No place on earth but Cork could get up 
such a scene. 

Yet Cork is not all Corn Market Street, and Corn Market 
Street is not all of Cork. There are some Mice streets and 
some nice buildings, but it is a dirty city. More dirty by far than 
any we have seen. It is surrounded by beautiful hills, having 
on them beautiful homes and drives. 

When the writer was a soldier, he had a brother officer, who 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 129 

sometimes recited for the entertainment of the messmates, and 
would occasionally recite The Bells of Shandon. The first line 
of the poem describes exactly now I how remember those 
occasions : — 

" With deep affection, an.l recollection, 
I often think on those Shandon Bells, 
Whose sound so wild would, in the days of childhood 
Fling round my cradle their magic spells. 

On this I ponder, where'er I wander. 

And thus grow fonder, sweet Cork, of thee; 

With thy Bells of Shandon, that sound so grand on 

The pleasant waters of the River Lee." 

We went to Shandon church and heard the bells chime. It is a 
Protestant Church, and was built in 1722. The Episcopal Cath- 
edral, St. Finbar, is very modern and a magnificent church. 
We also saw the Presbyterian church and school. There are 
about four hundred pupils, and the church is very beautiful. 

Cork Harbor, from the city to the ocean, is about ten miles 
long and is very beautiful indeed. It is renowned for its beauty, 
and justly. Fine green hills line the sides of the harbor, with 
many fine buildings, castles and towers. At the entrance of the 
harbor is Queenstown. 

The Irish question is, and has been, the burning question in 
.Great Britain for a hundred years. Home rule will come 
undoubtedly before long, though in just what form cannot be 
told now. That it will do the Irish people any good, I doubt 
much. They have been drilled for so many generations with 
abuse of the existing legal and political conditions, and with 
the glories in store for them under home rule, that I think they 
have lost sight of and are forgetting the inexorable law of self- 
responsibility, and the two great things that go with it — industry 
and frugality. I think they are in much the same condition of 
mind relative to their individual duties, as were the American 
negroes on the issuing of Mr. Lincoln's Proclamation. They 
thought that with it came an end to labor and privation. 

I think the Irish people are in about the same frame of mind 
as are the laboring people of our country. The laboring people 
9 



130 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

of our country have been stuffed so long with anarchistic, 
socialistic, and communistic stuffing, and the tyranny of capital, 
that they half, if not entirely, think that labor and frugality are 
not necessary. 

I doubt if anything governmental will help the Irish. When 
we think that the population of the Emerald Isle is less than 
half what it was twenty-five or thirty years ago, and know that 
the emigrated Irish soon become lost by amalgamation, as they 
do in our country, is it not about right to conclude that the race 
will become extinct? 

As to the laboring people in the United States, they will 
find their level through hard times. There may be much 
trouble, bodies of armed men may meet, and battles may be 
fought, but the same grind will go on, and it will pinch 
hardest the workers. Capital will be idle and not get its 
dividends, but it can stand it and keep standing it. Finally the 
worker will find that bread and butter will come only through 
labor and frugality, and patience with evils, which can only be 
remedied with time and peaceable methods. When they have 
arrived at that place, they will be satisfied with the wages that 
business can afford, which will never again be as high as they 
have been. 

We left Cork Thursday, the 26th, at six p. m., for Liverpool 
per steamer St. Finbar. The day was all that the most insati- 
able touristic beggar for fine weather could ask for, and as we 
sat on the deck we enjoyed very much the beauty of the harbor 
as we passed out to sea. Finally we had passed Queenstown, 
and as the bow of the boat pointed out, apparently, to a world 
all water, the dinner bell rang and we went below to dinner. 
After dinner, the twilight was fast going, the green hills behind 
us were rapidly growing indistinct, and a little longer and there 
was nothing to be seen but the stars and water. 

Good-bye, Ireland, with your green fields, your ruins^ beg- 
gars, dirty children, goats, pigs and story-tellers, good-bye, 
good-bye. 

That night was the first one since we left New York that my 
partner and I were separated. She occupied a room with other 
ladies, and I one with other gentlemen, owing to the arrange- 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. I31 

ments of the steamer. We were comfortable, and met next 
morning on deck. 

Our course was through St. George's Channel into and across 
the Irish Sea. For some time Friday morning we were without 
land in sight, but later we could see the mountains of Wales 
and Holyhead in the distance. Then we got nearer, and for 
some time were only a few hundred yards from the rocks and 
green hills of the Welsh coast ; then we left them again and 
soon they were a long way off ; and from them our interests 
changed to the towers and spires of Liverpool. 

The voyage of three hundred and forty-four miles ended on 
time at five o'clock, when we wound in through the wonderful 
docks and moored. We were soon at the North-Western Hotel 
where my partner found a letter from her mother, dated the 
15th, and I one from my sisters, dated the i6th, and others 
from friends of the same date. 

Saturday, eight-forty-five a. m. found us en route for the 
quaintest of all English towns, Chester, distant from Liverpool 
about thirty miles. How much of interest there is in Chester, 
yet how few Americans, comparatively, go there ! They disem- 
bark in Liverpool and rush off for London. Chester dates, as 
the camp of twentieth Roman Legion, from a. d. 60. It would 
take volumes to tell its history since then. 

In 607 twelve hundred monks were massacred there. The 
Danes took possession in 894 and held it one year. It was 
the last English city to yield to William the Conquerer, which 
it did in 1070. He created an Earldom here which still belongs 
to the English crown and now furnishes a title for the heir to the 
crown, hence the Prince of Wales is the Earl of Chester. The 
citizens stood stubbornly for Charles the First in 1644 and 1646, 
but were starved into surrendering. 

There are many Roman remains. The walls date from the 
fourteenth century. The length of the wall is two and a half 
miles, and the walk on which you walk around the city on the 
wall is from four to six feet wide. On your one side is a para- 
pet about four feet high, or perhaps five feet, while on the 
other, the inner side, is a railing about three feet high. For 
some distance a canal exists in the place of the moat, other 



132 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

than this there are no traces of the moat. Two of the towers, 
which were originally on the wall, remain, and one of them has 
this in scrip tian : 

" King Charles stood on this tower September 24th, 1645, 
and saw his army defeated on Rowton Moor.*' 

One of the interesting things about King Charles' Tower, at 
present, is the keeper. He is one of those natural orators, of 
whom England has so many, and whom she does not properly 
appreciate or furnish chance. Now, if the membership of Parlia- 
ment could be vastly increased, so as to give those people a 
show, it would be a neat thing. It would not cost much, for 
they would work for the the fees, and the fees would be enough. 
Then they would not do any harm and they would have such a 
splendid time. Here is a small sample of the way this one 
went on. 

" Now, ladies and gentlemen, if you will give me your atten- 
tion for a few moments, I will explain to you a few of the 
wonderful historical things about this most historical tower. 
Ah ! there, my fine lad, you are just in time to hear this most 
interesting story. It is for such as you that I like to talk. 
Just fresh from school, as you undoubtedly are, you should return 
and tell all your fellows this story. I was young once myself. 
The fatted calf was killed for me. I once would have spurned 
the thought of being here like this, but here I am. Well, we 
must proceed. Step this way please, and get up around me as 
close as possible. Now right on this identical stone, on which 
we now stand, on September 24th, 1645, stood King Charles 
First, Monarch of Great Britain, and through this crevice, through 
which we are now looking, saw his army defeated there, where 
you see that timber in Rowton Moor, where lies the village 
of Rowton, distant two miles. Really, ladies and gentlemen, 
you could not find a more historical tower in all England. Now 
step this way please, all, yes, my fine lad, you too, and the other 
lady, where is she ? Please step here, madam — step outside 
on the steps, please. The space is small, but we will do very 
well. Now, all look past to the right of that small, square, 
high building, which looks like a small brewery ; there on the 
hill, distant twelve miles — do you see those towers .*• Well that 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 1 33 

is Beeston Castle. Beeston Castle was destroyed by Cromwell 
a day or two before the defeat of Charles' army, and there one 
of the Generals was killed." 

We looked around the little room in the tower at the things 
of historical interest, and went down the long flight' of step to 
the wall. As we went, my partner said, " that man is a blather- 
skite," I don't know what made her think so, I call him an 
orator. 

In the lower room of the tower is a little shop where are sold 
views and trinkets for souvenirs. It is presided over by two 
young women, who are the perfection of politeness and excel- 
lence, as saleswomen. We patronized them a little and trudged 
on. 

In another corner we came to another tower, in which is 
another little museum, presided over by a fat, thrifty old lady, 
and a thin, very nice little old man. We heard their story, 
looked over their collection, climbed the stone steps and had a 
view from the top, dropped a few pennies and went on. Directly 
below us, as we walked the wall, in a fine little park, are Roman 
ruins, columns, and stone carvings. The Roman Baths were 
there. At last the interesting two miles were covered, and it 
was twelve-thirty. 

We viewed the cathedral inside, and out, and it is beautiful, 
as they all are, having, as they all have, its distinctive features. 

We landed in the top story, the third story, of the Bear and 
Billet Inn, an old historical building, and the town home of the 
Shrewsbury family in the old time, a great house in its day. 
King Charles was a guest there. Being near the gate, (one of 
the gates to the city) it was for many years the home of the ser- 
geant of the gate — gatekeeper's home. 

The front of the building is made up with heavy framed 
timbers, which are all exposed to view and weather, the squares 
and spaces being filled with mason work or leaded glass windows. 
There are hundred and hundreds of panes. There are very 
may of these quaint gabled buildings. We saw the oldest known 
house in the town, and it dates early in the eleventh century. 

The Rows are things of very much quaint interest, rows of 
houses on the business streets. Every few yards steps lead 



134 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

from the sidewalk up to the second story, and land you in an 
entresol above the street, through which you can walk among 
the merchandise clear around the square. We walked through 
several of them, and were intensely interested. 

But I niust stop ; you cannot stand everything, and a line 
must be drawn. I could write a day about Chester. Let me 
charge you all, donHpass Chester^ Go there and stay a week. 

The next will tell you of a ridiculous blunder, and how it 
turned out. 



LETTER XVI. 

Crown Hotel on the Clife, Lake Windermere. 
BowNESS, England, August i, 1894. 

How beautiful it is here ! Immediately in front of the win- 
dow at which I am seated, is the hill sloping down to the beau- 
tiful little lake. The hill is covered with trees, among which 
are houses, and over the tops of all, our view extends to and 
over the lake, and is blocked by the tree-covered and cloud- 
topped hill beyond, on the opposite side of the lake. 

It is not Ireland ! no ! it is not Ireland ! and everything pro- 
claims it. As we sat on top of the omnibus, eiiroute for 
the station last evening, and came through this and the other 
little town, Windemere, we noted the clean people, the clean 
streets, the perfect order of hedges and gardens. We noted 
also the politeness of our attendants, and the people, the evi- 
dences of comfort, and the Church of England.^-Oh no ! it is 
not Ireland. But too fast ; I am three days ahead of the 
story. Let us go back and start from Chester, quaint old 
Chester. 

Chester was in holiday attire the day we were there, and 
had been for several days before, on account of a musical 
festival, which was going on and had ended the day prior to 
our visit. Yet many of the visitors were there, and the flags 
were still flying. The flag of Great Britain with its crosses. 
It means much. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 135 

We are far behind England in some things, among them 
magnificence in homes and worldly elegance, and splendor of 
family life. We have very many grand and costly homes, but 
in the exceptionally grand and magnificent homes of which 
there are so very many scattered all over the British Islands, 
and of the magnificent appurtenances which accompany them, 
we don't compare at all. 

My partner and I have visited a number of these homes, 
have walked through houses and parks and gardens. You see 
many of them while going through the country, and things per- 
taining to them all the time. 

As an instance: — While walking in Chester, Saturday, we 
passed the carriage of the Duke of Westminster, which was 
leisurely passing along the street without occupants, going to 
the town hall where a meeting was in progress, to pick up his 
Grace. The carriage in pattern was an open one, and resembled 
some our landau, when entirely open. It was very much larger, 
capable of seating comfortably twelve people and two footmen. 
It and the harness were entirely black without ornamentation, 
save the Ducal Arms. 'The horses were four light-colored bays 
of large size, and perfect animals. They were driven by two 
postillions, who rode the two near or left hand horses. The 
postillions wore top boots, blacked to perfection, white broad- 
cloth Prince Albert coats, ornamented with braid (gold braid), 
black silk hats, on the side of which were the arms, white gloves ; 
their clothes fitted to perfection, and they sat straight and 
dignified. We are not in it. 

Four p. M. found us back in Liverpool. Liverpool we did 
not see much of, enough though to take in its importance as a 
great port, and as a city of great commercial importance. It is 
solidly and massively built. It looks, as it is, solid through and 
through. 

Immediately upon arriving there Friday evening, and having 
read our letters, we went out for a stroll and to buy a little 
stationery, and my partner to get her shoes soled, she having 
worn the original soles off walking British roads. At once we 
were brought to an appreciation again of the nice ways of the 
people. The contrast with Ireland was apparent. We re- 



136 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

marked it and talked about it. I am " struck " on England, 
but that is the American and not the English way of putting it. 
The shoes now have the soles nailed on, and when they cross 
the room, they go thump ! thump ! but they will last. 

A ridiculous blunder, and what came of it : — Some years 
ago, when the Swedenborgian Church held its annual conven- 
tion in Chicago there was present Rev. R. R. Rodgers. He 
preached a sermon, the beauty and excellence of which im- 
pressed all who heard it, and very particularly so the writer of 
this. The sermon, the delivery and the man made an indelible 
impression on the memory of the writer, and he resolved that 
if ever opportunity should come, he would see more of Mr. 
Rodgers. When this foreign trip was decided on, with it came 
the decision to see Mr. Rodgers in his pulpit at Manchester and 
at the same time the most flourishing church of the Sweden- 
borgian faith in England, hence all the time before us has been 
Manchester as one of the places to be visited, if reasonably 
possible, and Saturday six P. m. brought us there safe and 
sound. Dinner over, I consulted the directory, found the list 
of Swedenborgian churches, but no Mr. Rodgers as pastor. We 
decided that some change had taken place, and though much 
disappointed selected one of them the North ly^anchester Society, 
the Rev. William F. Stonestreet, pastor, to visit. Sunday 
morning found us ready early, and a walk and ride by tram car 
soon brought us to a beautiful church, with high steeple and 
pretty churchyard, situated in a nice resident district on Bury 
New Road. A signboard with inscription said " North Man- 
chester New Church Society." We found no person yet present 
but the verger and organist, and plenty of time was afforded us 
to examine the church, which is new, and modern and nice, 
and to study the form of worship. 

This we found, as we had heard, to be quite different from 
ours in the United States. It is quite like in several things the 
Church of England. It includes a prayer, or rather in the 
prayers is included one for the Queen, the Prince and Princess 
of Wales, and the Royal family. The arrangement of the serv- 
ice by Sundays, one for each of the several Sundays in the 
month, I like much, for it is perfectly easy to follow, and does 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 1 37 

not inflict on strangers the embarrassment consequent on having 
to be constantly shown the service. 

The sermon was good, though not equal in depth and fine 
delivery to those that a little man in Chicago has fed us on for 
so many years. The singing by a choir of ladies and gentle- 
men, eight in all was very nice, and the solo by one of the ladies 
was exquisite. The minister wore a white gown and the verger 
a black one. My Church of England partner was charmed with 
it all. To me it all seemed in place, orderly and right. 

As w^e passed out I stepped up to the verger, and was in the 
act of asking about Mr. Rogers, thinking we would yet see him, 
if possible, when a gentleman came to us, and having heard my 
question said, " Mr. Rogers is not here. You know his home 
and church are in Birmingham. " Well, I knew it then, and 
undoubtedly did know it originally, but the blunder ! However, 
there was no time, and apparently no need of explanation, 
for the gentlemen asked, " You are strangers in England ? " 
" Yes, sir, Americans." " Please accept my card, and go home 
with us and dine. " 

The invitation was so warm and genuinely cordial, even if we 
had wanted to we could not politely decline ; but as we were 
far from wanting to we accepted, and were soon seated in the 
carriage and moving out of the city. Before leaving the church 
we had some introductions, among them one to the pastor, whose 
presence is charming. The ride of half an hour at a slow trot 
brought us to a fine home, with a fine lawn and garden and 
flowers and hedges and trees. Our host and hostess were Mr. 
and Mrs. Thomas Parkinson, most charming people, whose family 
of several children are all married but a son, a very agreeable 
and intelligent man of, say, twenty-five to thirty years. 

Mrs. Parkinson is a sister of the wife of the Rev. Mr. Warren 
of our church in America. The sister, Mrs. Warren, has been 
deceased several years. 

The party at dinner consisted of the host and hostess, the 
son and a sister of the host, whose home is in London, my 
partner and myself. It was a charming home dinner, relished 
and enjoyed in every particular. After dinner Mr. Parkinson 
went to the church to teach his class in the Sunday-school, but 



13S EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

having expressed a strong desire that we remain for the afternoon 
and to tea and allow him an opportunity to continue with the 
writer his questions and conversation on American politics, we 
remained. 

Our hostess brought us the American publications of the 
church, among them the Messenger, from which we obtained the 
particulars of the convention, and the account of the Memorial 
Service held in Chicago, to Rev. Mr. Hibbard, and also an account 
of the service of Sunday, July 8th, the last to be held in the Van 
Buren Street Temple. The thought of this carries sadness with 
it. For many years the Van Buren Street Temple has been 
the happy home of our church in Chicago, and the writer will 
ever remember with fondness the years of worship attended 
there, the truths and good taught us, and the lasting friends 
that were made. Let us pray that these things may continue 
under the new arrangements to be made. 

Mr. Parkinson is a manufacturer of cotton yarns, or goods of 
that character, and very much irterested in the American 
tariff. He asked me many questions, as have many English- 
men, which show me the intense interest they have in American 
affairs. They are just now beginning to see, with the most 
profound interest, what the free trade which they have been 
hoping and working for always will mean. They see the pos- 
sible reduction in American wages, and the consequent reduc- 
tion in the cost of American manufactures ; and knowing the 
immense producing power of the country, they read the pos- 
sible effect in the markets of the world as they would a death- 
knell. It is one of the most serious questions that Great 
Britain has ever had to consider, and it is being thoroughly 
considered. 

Finally the tea was over, the enjoyable conversation well 
rounded up, the gardens and lawn again visited, and we took 
leave of our charming host and hostess, and the others, then 
returned to the city and our hotel. 

Ever in the corner of our memory will be tucked away a little 
pamphlet, telling of a lovely Sunday in Manchester. And that, 
is the story of the blunder, and what came of it. 

Again let me refer to this country as a country of cities. Liver- 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 139 

pool with a half million and thirty miles, Manchester with the 
same amount, and so it goes. Twenty-seven millions of people 
in England and Wales, but little more area than in Illinois. 

From Liverpool, to the left of the road, nearly the whole dis- 
tance to Manchester, it seen:^ed like a forest of chimneys rising 
from manufacturing establishments. Many of them were smoke- 
less. Mr. Parkinson told me that business is very unsatisfac- 
tory, and others have said so too. 

There are very many things of interest in Manchester. We 
saw a few of them. We went to the Town Hall, walked 
through, over, and around it. It cost, a few years ago, three 
million, eight hundred thousand dollars, and in my estimation 
is a finer building than any in Chicago. It is not as large in 
cubic feet as some, but it is fine inside and out. It does not 
look like a tower, or a square stack of brick, or a square stack 
of stone. It is pretty, graceful, and properly proportioned, and 
is finely ornamented inside and out. I compare it with the 
Masonic Temple and the Auditorium, and they are dead. 

By the way, I am now convinced that many of the great 
buildings in Chicago are the ugliest things that the world ever 
produced in the way of buildings. 

We walked around to a little gabled old tumble-down, hotel. 
By the door is a board bearing this inscription : — 

" The Seven Stars Hotel, 
Licensed over five hundred years. 
The oldest licensed hotel in Great Britain. 
Ye Tradition Rooms. 
Ye Guy Fawkes Chamber. 
The clock t\vo hundred years old. " 

We went in, looked it over, and passed on. 

The Manchester Ship Canal, just completed, which connects 
the city with the Mersey River, and makes Manchester a seaport 
with harbor for large ships, cost sixty millions of dollars, and was 
twelve years in building. Liverpool fought it most stubbornly? 
but Manchester finally triumphed and built the canal. It is 
thirty-five miles long, and has twenty-six feet of water. It is 
a wonderful work and cost as much, as has been published, as 



I40 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

the probable cost to build a ship canal from Chicago to Lake 
Erie, and thereby shorten the water-route from Chicago to 
Buffalo by five hundred and seventy miles, if I remember right- 
ly. We must not talk too much about Chicago's enterprise 
and push. There is a little in other places. 

We went to the canal, got into a steamer about the size of 
one of our tug-boats and rode on it. We went through one set 
of the great locks and back. In the lock at the same time there 
was a large side-wheel steamer, in size and shape like the New 
York ferry-boats. Also four fiat-boats, much larger than tugs, 
loaded with sawed lumber, a very large tug, which pulled them, 
two excursion steamers, about like the Ivanhoe, and our boat ; 
nine in all. 

Another canal crosses this one on a drawbridge, about the 
size of State Street bridge. The canal-boat, drawn by horses, 
passes along and into the bridge. Gates at the end of the 
bridge hold the water in the bridge and in the canal, then the 
bridge, boat, water, and all swings, and the big steamer in the 
big canal passes through the draw. You see, my friends, they 
can do a few things other places too. 

The cathedral is very old and interesting. It is not as large 
as several we have seen, but is beautiful in interior ornamenta- 
tion, and has more beautiful windows than any seen yet. 

Cheatham College, a blue-coat school for boys, was established 
by Humphrey Cheatham in 1651. The boys are well trained 
and very polite. They wear coats which have long straight waists, 
with brass buttons close together in one row straight down 
before, and with a skirt which nearly reaches to their feet. 

You could not make American whelps wear such a thing to 
save your life. The library of the college has forty thousand 
volumes. It is in a most remarkably quaint and interesting build- 
ing, which dates from the reign of Henry the Fourth, 1422-1461. 
It is said to be the most ancient and interesting building in 
Manchester. The library is the oldest free library in Europe. 
A sixpence to the nice lad who conducts us, and we are done 
with the library. 

We rode on the tops of the tram-cars in different directions, 
and walked about, which afforded us quite good knowledge of 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. I41 

the city. It is not as interesting a city to me, in the business 
district, as either Birmingham or Liverpool, and the buildings 
are not as modern and handsome. Manchester is called the 
first industrial city in England, and it is a busy city. It was 
here that the party which made England free trade originated. 
The enormous interest that the Manchester people have in the 
manufacture of cotton can be seen something of by the enormous 
truck-loads of the stuff in all forms, that may be seen at all times, 
passing along the streets. Cotton in bales, as it left Mississippi 
and Alabama, and in sheeting, ready to be returned there. 

It is eighty miles, or a few more, from Manchester to Lake 
Windermere, all the way through the unequaled beautiful land- 
scape, of which I have written so much. It is a constant feast 
for the eyes ; a grand landscape painting, representing a country 
perfected by age and advanced civilization. 

Everywhere there is that perfection of order and cleanliness 
about the stations, and in the towns, and on the farms. The 
verdure is very green and there are plenty of trees. You fre- 
quently see ruins and historical things to remind you of the 
country's great past, and while you are buried in interest, the 
eighty miles are soon covered. 

At dinner to-night we were reminded of the enormous amount 
of luxuries that we have in our country, and don't know it. 
Here tomatoes and cucumbers are raised only under glass. 
They are rarely served in the most expensive hotels. Fruit of 
many kinds, that scarcely have value in our country, are almost 
unknown here. Strawberries and grapes they will almost count 
in serving to you. We occasionally buy tomatoes and berries 
and have them served with our meals. 

We see every day that the people of England are compelled 
to deny themselves many things constantly, that are so plentiful 
with us, and that we don't know how to value. 

We arrived here night before last, Tuesday, July 31st. After 
dinner we walked about the town and lake a short time, and 
then retired. Yesterday it rained nearly all day, and we re- 
mained in our room until four o'clock, when we went for a tramp 
in the neighborhood for an hour or two, and then home. While 
in our room, I wrote letters, and my partner repaired clothing. 



142 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

To-day it poured and rained until afternoon, and we remained 
in our room until three o'clock, then we went to the lake and 
got into the little steamer, and went to Ambleside, at the north 
end of the lake, about three miles distant. We were nicely 
seated on the deck of the boat and enjoying the magnificent 
scenery, when it commenced to pour and drove us into the cabin. 

On arriving at Ambleside the rain had stopped, and we went 
a mile to a very pretty glen, and followed it up the stream a 
half mile to a beautiful little waterfall. It is a very romantic 
place and visited a great deal. On our way back it rained hard 
again, and we took shelter in a barn, along with three or four 
other tramps. Stock-Ghyll-Force is the name of the cascade. 

Then we went in another direction along by the side of a 
little river, called the Rothay, to a bridge of stepping-stones. 
There are twenty-six stones placed in the water to step on and 
cross. They are crossed hourly by tourists, and have been 
written about by poets and others. We enjoyed the tramp and 
beauty of the scene in spite of the rain. 

The little steamer landed us on our return, at seven o'clock, 
and we were ready for our dinner. We had walked five miles. 

I think we will decide that the lakes are much more beautiful 
than Killarney. In the next we will decide that question. 

To-morrow we coach fourteen miles, boat a distance, and take 
the cars for Scotland. 



LETTER XVII. 

Ullswater Hotel, Patterdale, 
Lake Ullswater^ England^ August^ 3^, 1894. 
I RUSHED No. 16 so last night, that I think I hardly did 
some-lhings justice, hence we will go back to Manchester for a 
little while. 

In going to the Ship Canal we went to the River Irwell, a 
few squares from our hotel, and there got into a steam launch 
which conveyed us to the connection of the Irwell with the 
canal. The Irwell is very much like the Chicago River in size. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. I43 

and in that it passes between rows of buildings, and the black 
water is very much, exactly in fact, like our river sometimes ; 
and then the smell was very strong, of the same quality to 
which we have been introduced before. 

To help out the business, scavenger boats were moored along 
by the sides frequently, receiving their loads from the carts. 
I don't think, in its palmiest days of smells, I ever experienced 
from the Chicago River so much force in smell as we noticed 
on this occasion on the Irwell. Here is another thing that we 
need not talk too loud about. I will advise all who contemplate 
visiting the big canal via the Irwell, to carry their smelling 
bottles. 

I did not tell all the interesting stories about the Seven Stars 
Hotel. In 1805 England was at war with France, and there 
was what was called the Press Gang, whose duty it was to press 
men into the service. A farmer's boy was leading a horse by 
in the street, and carrying a shoe which the horse had cast. 
The Press Gang rushed out of tlie hotel and captured him to 
serve the King. Before leaving, he nailed the shoe to a post in 
the lobby, saying, " Let this stay until I come from the wars to 
claim it." It is still there ; we saw it. We did not see the 
Press. Gang. The little history of the old house, that we ob- 
tained for a penny from the barmaid, connects Guy Fawkes 
with it as a visitor, and tells of the plot to blow up the King, 
Lords, and Commons at the meeting of Parliament, November 
15th, 1605. The plot was discovered none too early, as all was 
in readiness, and Fawkes was on duty with the thirty-six barrels 
of powder ready to ignite the fire when captured. A number 
of the conspirators were captured about the same time. They 
were tried, and condemned to be drawn,*hanged, and quartered. 
The execution took place on the 30th and 31st of January. 
That is the way they treated conspirators in those days. 

Yesterday afternoon when we were walking about Ambleside, 
of which I wrote in No. 16, we got hungry, and seeing the sign 
of a little refreshment house, stepped in for luncheon. A fire 
was burning in the grate, "the room was carpeted, and the day 
being wet and cold, the place was very inviting. 

A cat was slumbering on the rug before the fire, which we 



144 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

disturbed in giving our order, but she only yawned and stretclied, 
picked up the thread of her dream, and proceeded to spin it on. 
My partner sat down by her and began to stroke her fur, to 
which she objected, while I looked on in grouty silence brood- 
ing about the weather. 

Over the little fire a kettle was suspended by a hook from a 
crane. It simmered and sang an old, old song. There were 
other cooking utensils about, and we saw that it was there that 
the cooking in the house was done. There are many houses 
in Great Britain where the cooking is done at open fires ; a 
good many small hotels. It was so at the Swan Hotel at Wilm- 
cote where we stayed. 

While in Manchester, we went to the rooms where the litera- 
ture and periodicals of our church are on sale, and bought the 
order of worship which they use in England. Some who may 
read this letter will want to see them, I think. 

We arranged last night to leave Bowness this a. m. at nine- 
twenty-five by coach for this place, distant fourteen miles, thence 
by boat on Ullswater Lake to Pooley Bridge, six or eight 
miles ; thence by coach to Penrith, five miles, where we would 
take the cars for Scotland. Promptly on time the coach came, 
and so did the rain. Both stayed with us the entire fourteen 
miles, much of the time the rain falling in torrents. 

On arriving here we concluded to stop over, and see if, dur- 
ing the next day or two, it will stop raining a short time, to get 
ready again. It is a most charming place, an excellent hotel, 
and we can wait. Our route to-day was around on sides of 
hills, almost mountains, by most exquisitely beautiful valleys and 
little rivers. Much of the time the lakes could be seen in the 
distance, and had the day been fine, I cannot conceive of any- 
thing more beautiful. 

We stopped to water the horses and spirit the driver at a little 
stone hotel on the top of one of the big hills — The Traveler's 
Rest, in Kirkstone Pass. On it was an inscription which told 
us that it w^as the most elevated inhabited building in Great 
Britain, being fourteen hundred and eighty-one feet above the 
level of the sea. But it rained and rained ; the valleys were full 
of steam and mist, and the hills cloud-capped. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 145 

While I think of it, let me tell my men friends never to bring 
their wives to Europe with feathers on their hats that stand up. 
If they want black feathers, get a jackdaw's, and if light-colored 
ones, get a pigeon's, and sew them on so they will not stand 
up. It is almost impossible to hold an umbrella when it is 
raining and the wind blowing a gale, so as to keep off the rain 
and not mash the feathers. 

Man's idea of order, and the order of the Almighty are 
directly opposite. The Almighty makes mountains w^ith rough, 
broken, uneven sides and tops, and leaves rocks projecting, 
and standing up apparently hit or miss. His trees are scattered 
and in clumps, different kinds and shapes. 

Man piles up earth in square or round piles, with smooth 
sides and straight edges, and leaves stones and rocks in square 
straight shapes, and he plants trees in rows. When the two 
ways are blended and worked in together, man is best pleased. 

We saw this beautifully illustrated to-day in one of the land- 
scapes. We were passing along the hillside, we will say two hun- 
dred feet above the plain, and the plain was, we will say about 
half a mile wide and one and a half miles long, surrounded with 
hills. The sides of the hills looked smooth, and there were 
not very obtrusive rocks. The plain was platted into fields, 
the sides of which were marked with hedges, or stone walls. 
Buildings were placed about in several places. 

There was no regularity, in size or shape, to the fields, and 
there was not any barren or waste places. Some places the 
grass had been recently mown, hence those places were light 
green ; on others the grass had grown again since cutting, and 
they were rich dark green. It was a magnificent picture. 
Nature allowing man to use her materials and her forces to 
produce that which suited him better than the original. Kil- 
larney is not in it. 

The mountains are larger, and the lakes a little larger, but 

the weirdness of the homeless scene leaves a feeling that it is a 

place to coach through. Here you want to stay, and Nature 

has furnished everything in the greatest abundance to add 

beauty; while man has made use of all and destroyed nothing. 

Here there is life, order, comfort, thrift. There are beautiful 
10 



146 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

little and great houses ; there is not any dirt, and there are no 
beggars. Come to England and the English Lakes and pass 
Ireland and the Lakes of Killarney. 

Five p. M. — It has not rained for an hour. I look over the 
mountains across the lake, and see a spot of blue sky, and 
wonder if it means anything. If it doesn't rain in the morning, 
we will go on. 

Our window overlooks the little boat-landing, which is under 
an oak tree with a wide-spreading top. A lovely lawn extends 
from the hotel to the water. The lake is very narrow, only a 
few hundred yards, and the mountain rises up from the water 
on the opposite side and is covered with grass. The sun oc- 
casionally blinks through the clouds and falls on the mountain, 
lighting the place with golden green. O ! it is lovely. 

Sometimes to-day our horses went just as fast as they could 
run. The road is perfectly smooth and hard, with a hill on one 
side and a stone wall on the other. Down hill the driver let 
them run, up hill they did not want to. The road is very 
crooked, having many short turns, and we went around some 
of them so fast, that a lady inside the coach got seasick, and 
called to stop, and she got on top. The leading horses were light 
and made to run, and it troubled the staid old fellows at the 
wheels to keep up with them. It would have been very nice, 
but for the rain. The people here call it a " nawsiy dayP 

Saturday, August 4th, there was a stubborn battle fought at 
Patterdale over Ullswater Lake. It was commenced by the 
sun, who, immediately on appearing, shot one of his bolts through 
a little nook in the mountains and over the lake far into the 
window of our room. It awakened the writer, who arose and 
lowered the curtain and again retired. He did not grumble. 
Later a knock on the door suggested that there was but time to 
dress before breakfast would be ready, and that we v^ould find 
warm water and blacked boots at the door. We found the sun 
and golden green in possession of everything. Even the quiet 
little lake reflected the same color, but darker, from the shadow 
of the mountain, which fell on it. 

Then the clouds came and the battle was renewed and waged 
for an hour, when the sun retired and the clouds took possession 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. I47 

of every place, and they celebrated their victory with cloudiness 
and tears. 

At breakfast we noticed a party who occupied one table as 
they had the evening before at dinner. We noticed at dinner 
that they did not have wine. In the party were some young 
ladies, whom we thought very pretty, and we thought their elders 
very easy and graceful in their manners. There was but one 
gentleman, and his hair was well streaked with white, and his 
graceful bearing showed him to be at ease. We decided that they 
were much more pleasing and interesting than the people who 
occupied the other tables, and that they must be Americans. 
Well they were Americans and from Detroit. The gentleman was 

Mr. .He and Mrs. and a daughter went our way part 

of the day, and we made their acquaintance and had a charming 
visit with them. The rest of their party remained to spend 
Sunday and rest at beautiful Ullswater. They will all be 
together again in a few days. I wonder how we conceited 
Yankees appear to the nice English people, whom we see all 
the time. "Oh ! that we could but see ourselves as others see 
us." 

At ten-thirty the little boat landed at the little wharf under 
the tree, and covered with rain cloaks and umbrellas in hand, 
we were soon on board and steaming toward the north end of 
the lake. It did not rain enough to drive us from the deck, 
hence we enjoyed the magnificence of the scene very much. 
Let me say aside that I really believe if the sun had been 
shining, I would have decided it the most beautiful yet. In 
doing her part of the work, Nature left out the bold uncovered 
rocks, the barren places and uncontrollable ravines, and instead 
has furnished rounded surfaces and fairly easy undulations, 
which she covered with green velvet. Then man came and did 
his part thoroughly, and the whole work is perfect ! At the 
end of the lake, Pooley Bridge, we found the coach in readi- 
ness, and at twelve-thirty were at Penrith. The train was soon 
there, and we were in it and going. 

At Carlisle we left our newly-made and charming acquaintances, 
they to take a carriage to Glasgow, and we one for Ayr. Soon 
after leaving Carlisle we were passing quite near to the bay, 



148 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

Solway Firth, on our left, while on our right was Gretna Green, 
time-honored as the Mecca for English Elopers, where it is to 
be hoped they found the anticipated bliss in the union which 
was administered by the blacksmith. We did not see the black- 
smith. 

The Scottish landscape thus far does not keep up the record 
for beauty that the English does. There is not as many well- 
kept hedges, nor as many beautiful homes and fine trees. It is 
pretty, though not so much so, and it is different. We were 
surprised to see a good many wooden fences, post and board 
fences. 

Ayr, the home of Burns, Aug. 5th, 1894, at two-thirty. We 
arrived at five p. m. yesterday, dined at six-thirty and at seven 
went out into the streets of the city, which has twenty thousand 
people and is a seaport, being connected with the sea by the 
Firth of Clyde and the North Channel. About thirty thousand 
tourists come here annually, purely on account of the associa- 
tion with Burns, while but about fourteen thousand go to the 
home of Shakespeare. Strange, is it not, when we consider 
how vastly greater was Shakespeare's Works ? 

We viewed, walked around, and gazed upon the statue of 
bonnie Robert, and laughed at the well-executed picture, done 
in bronze, of Tam fleeing from the "hellish legion." We 
loitered through the streets, in and out the shops, and among 
the people who w^ere on the various errands which call them 
out Saturday evening. On across the New Brig and back over 
the Auld Brig. The New Brig is not the one of the story, as it 
has been replaced by yet a newer one. The Auld Brig dates 
from 1250. We w^ent into the Carnegie Free Library which is 
a gift from our Andrew. It is well patronized and an honor to 
the donor. I looked over the papers and read dispatches from 
America, among them one telling of a three-million-dollar fire 
in Chicago in a manufacturing district. I would like to know 
where, but locate it on the West side. My partner read a little 
story. 

Back among the people : — We saw very many poorly clad 
and dirty, and many ragged and dirty children and barefoot 
women. Very many, indeed, drunken men. Many more than 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. I49 

we have seen, all told, since our arrival in Great Britain. They 
were being led home and about by their wives, many of whom 
carried a child or two, and who were talking to their drunken 
partners I imagine, had we been able to understand, as did 
Tarn O'Shanter's wife, Kate, when she told him he was 

" A skellum 
A blethering, blustering, drunken blellum ; 
That frae November till October, 
Ae market-day thou wasna sober." 

They were a coarse, ill-kept lot of people ; the whole thing 
was unpleasant, and we came home. To-day we went to church 
to the Established Church, the Presbyterian. The church build- 
ing is old, quaint, and interesting. We sat under the gallery, 
and the framework of the heavy oak timbers which support it 
are exposed but painted. It looks old-fashioned. 

The church was filled with well-dressed, genteel-appearing 
people, though we could see that they were of all classes. The 
sermon, based on the sixth verse of the sixth chapter of Mark, 
told of the doubt that existed in the minds of the Nazarenes of 
the power and mission of the young man, whom they had seen 
grow from boyhood among them, and was a very instructive 
and interesting lesson, clearly and well delivered. Occasion- 
ally the Scotch accent would come out, as for instance, world 
was pronounced " worreld," but it only added interest. The 
singing was led by a choir of about twelve ladies and gentle- 
men, and the congregation seemed willing that they should do 
it, and added but little. Quite a good deal of the singing was 
chanting, and sounded very much like that of the Church of 
England. The minister wore a black robe with a white tie, the 
ends of which hung down on his chest. 

I wonder how that kind of singing and robe would suit the 
congregational singing, and the e very-day-clothes Presbyter- 
ians of our country. They must remember, though, that this is 
headquarters. 

At intervals this afternoon it has rained and poured, and the 
sun has shone. In Great Britain the railroads conduct and 
own hotels in many of the cities, and they are located in con- 



150 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

nection with the stations. To stay at them relieves the trouble 
of omnibuses and cabs, and as they are reasonable in price and 
very good we patronize them. We are now at one here, the 
Station Hotel it is called. The outlook from our windowis 
over the station house and railroad tracks, and out into the 
country over the farms and hills for miles. Now the sun is 
shining, and the plain, made up of fields of different shades of 
green, and clumps of trees and houses, is very beautiful. I 
doubt not that it will be pouring again in a few moments. 

For two hours after coming from church my partner slept 
soundly on the bed. Now she is writing at another table, and 
her face is about the color of a tan shoe, caused by rain, wind, 
and sun. 

We have ordered our letters sent to Glasgow, where we will 
go Tuesday. We hope to have some there. The next will 
give more about Burns, whom we will be after for a couple of 
days. 

These letters represent everything just as the writer sees and 
hears and understands them. Some things might seem dif- 
ferent to other people, but it is the intention to have them per- 
fectly truthful. To carry the results of our travels correctly 
requires some note-taking, study, and care. The object is to 
have a correct and complete story of our travels for the pleas- 
ure of all who may be interested in it, and we wish the letters 
returned to our home so that we may keep them. 



LETTER XVIII. 

Ayr, Scotland, August 6th, 1894. 
Eight-thirty this a. m. found us ready for our walk to the 
birthplace of bonnie Robert Burns, and we were very soon 
en route. Heavy black and white clouds jfloated about, but it 
did not rain, and a couple of hours later the day developed 
into perfection. It was not cold or windy, and then the sun, 
the glorious sun, was shining. The two and a half miles 
seemed to be but the throw of a stone, they being so much 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 151 

shortened by our brisk walk and the attention which we gave 
to the beautiful surroundings. 

Rather unexpectedly we came to a stone cottage with 
thatched roof and standing with its end to the road, around 
which the road bends abruptly, and on the side of this little 
low house we read this inscription : 

" Robert Burns was born in this house January 25th, 1759. 
Entrance at the third door." 

The cottage is quite like that of Ann Hathaway's at 
Stratford, save, of course, that it is not as old by two hundred 
or more years. Tuppence each ; and passing through a turnstile 
we were inside, and passing through a door fo the right were con- 
fronted by a sign which reads : " The bed in which the poet was 
born." We spent considerable time in the old house, examining 
the things which were so closely connected with the life of the 
Scotch bard, and gave some thought to the stone floor over 
which he had toddled so many times. The bed occupied 
a small recess, made in the wall for it, and the fireplace is a 
large open one, and there is an oaken cupboard with doors and 
an upper and lower part. We imagined Bobby being supplied 
with his oatmeal and milk from the cupboard, and there was 
an oaken table, all of which were used by, and belonged to, the 
poet's family. 

In another room we were shown the horn toddy-stick which 
the poet used, showing that he was not a teetotaller, and 
several specimens of his handwriting in the manuscripts of 
some of his poems. There is also a heavy oak carved chair, a 
very large one, which was made out of the wood that composed 
the first printing press on which his poems were printed ; two 
chairs, one with high back and arms, which was Souter Johnny's, 
and one with low back and arms, which was Tam O'Shanter's. 
They occupied these chairs, — 

" Ae market night, 
Tam had got planted unco right; 
Fast by an ingle, bleezing finely, 
With reaming swats, that drank divinely ; 
And at his elbow souter Joh nny, 
His ancient, trusty, drouthy crony ; 
Tam lo'ed him like a vera brither." 



152 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

In another room, in a glass case, was the walking stick, a plain 
light-colored wood one, varnished. There were many pictures 
showing the poet in various positions during his short life, and 
many other things which we must pass. 

The home was built by the father of the poet, who sold it for 
two hundred pounds. It now belongs to the trustees of the 
monument, who bought it thirteen years ago at a cost of four 
thousand pounds. When they bought it, and for many years 
before, it was a public house. 

About a quarter of a mile along the road, as you follow the 
very gentle slope down through the . rows of trees toward " Ye 
flowery banks o'Bonnie Doon," you come to the Alloway Kirk. 
You ascend to the churchyard by six or eight stone steps, and 
stand by a little plat of land, which contains the remains of 
Burns's father and two of his sisters. The inscription on the 
stone remembers the mother, but her remains are buried some 
miles away. 

While we stood by the little burial-place, old John Campbell 
strode up and commenced to talk to us. He was thin, poorly 
clad, looked poorly fed, and is seventy-one years old. He 
commenced to tell us about the poet and his life and family, 
and we let him. He was hard to understand, but very funny. 
We dropped some pennies into his open palm, and the flow of 
Scotch increased. He took us to a neglected grave, the in- 
scription on the stone of which read, " Erected by John Laugh- 
lin to the memory of John Laughlin his father." His father 
was Souter John, hence we were standing over the shrine of that 
worthy, the ancient, trusty, drouthy crony of Tam O'Shanter. 
Mr. Campbell told us that souter in the Burns vernacular is 
shoemaker. He also told us that Tain O'Shanter is buried 
ten miles away. 

Around on the other side of the ruin he showed us the bap- 
tismal bowl, which is built in the wall, and in which had been 
the water used in the baptism of the poet, and he also showed 
us some queer tombstones. Pointing to one he said, " This ane 
is a gey auld stine," and he explained in his Scotch way, that 
it marked the grave of- a renowned hunter, hence the horn and 
stirrups which were engraved on the " stine." 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 1 53 

Then we stood by the window, through which Tam O'Shanter 
watched the dance of the witches. The story tells us, 

" Weel mounted on his gray mare Meg, 
A better never lifted leg, 
Tam skelpit on thro' dub and mire, 
Despising wind, and rain, and fire ; 

* * * * * 

Kirk- Alio way was drawing nigh, 
Whare ghaists and howlets nightly cry. 

^ ^ ^ -^ ^ 

When, glimmering thro' the groaning trees, 
Kirk-AUoway seemed in a bleeze ; 
Thro' ilka bore the beams were glancing. 
And loud resounded mirth and dancing." 

Tam was almost paralyzed at first, but the story goes on, — 

" Inspiring bold John Barleycorn ! 
What dangers thou canst make us scorn ! 
Wi' tippenny we fear nae evil ; 
Wi' usquabae we'll face the devil ! ** 

SO braced up with the effect of the load of Scotch stuff inside, 
Tam peering into the window, yelled 

" Weel done, cutty-sark ! 
And in an instant all was dark; 
And scarcely had he Maggie rallied 
When out the hellish legion sallied." 

The old man explained the whole situation and recited several 
stanzas of the story as only a Scotchman can. 

The church, Alloway Kirk, has been a ruin for a hundred and 
thirty-five years. There is nothing left of it but the walls and 
the story of Tam O'Shanter. 

A little further and we are at the monument erected to Burns, 
surrounded by flowers and shrubbery. At one side of the in- 
closure there is a little building in which are life-size figures of 
Tam O'Shanter and Souter John, who, over their cups, are, in 
the mind of the observer, exchanging the yarns and confidences 
which occupied so much of their time in life. They are well 
done, in stone, and we laughed heartily at the two worthies. 



154 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

On but a little way, and we are at the Brig o' Doon, where 
the good mare Meg lost her tail. We walked across the brig, 
around and back by the new brig, and we walked on the banks 
of Bonnie Doon. We went into the Burns Arms, had a glass of 
ale, rested and started home. 

Please don't confound this new and old brig with the New 
and Auld Brig which have the discussion ; they are in the city. 
Since Tarn O'Shanter's ride, the road has been changed, or 
rather a new one made. We came back, as we understand it, 
by the route which he took with his good mare Meg. It is con- 
siderably longer than the way we went, but fully as pretty and 
interesting. For some distance it took us along by the sea. 

We passed an artist sketching, in color, an old water-mill. 
It -stood out bold. On one side there were trees, and on the 
other the dam which supplied the water, and it also made a 
waterfall. I remarked to him, " You have a good subject." 
Yes, he said, " very good." I wonder how many others have sat 
in that spot and sketched the mill. 

Before we got home, the rain came, and we took shelter 
by a high wall under some trees. W^e arrived at our hotel at 
one o'clock and much enjoyed our luncheon. We had walked 
six miles. 

As we were leaving the yard of Alloway Kirk, my partner 
stopped to pick some daisies from the grave of the father of the 
poet, when our old friend, John Campbell, stooped, and, plucking 
two, handed them to her, saying, " Here are twa bonnie ones." 

The poet is buried at Dumfries, about seventy miles from 
here. We will not go there. 

What is there about Burns that excites good-nature and 
mirth ? One constantly feels like laughing while here on the 
errand that we are. It is so with all we meet. It is not deris- 
ion, but simple, hearty fun. Burns died in his thirty-ninth 
year, leaving a wife and children. 

Glasgow, Tuesday, Aug. 7th, 1894. — At ten o'clock this a. m. 
we left Ayr, where we had spent two most delightful days. We 
were loth to leave, and even now I feel that I would like very 
much to take another walk on " Ye Banks o' Bonnie Doon." I 
am sorry that we did not get the name and address of the 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. T55 

artist, who was making the picture of the mill and dam on the 
Doon. We would like to have the picture. Yet it may not be 
for sale. 

Our route for a time to-da}^ lay along by the Firth of Clyde, 
looming up out of which we could see the hills of Arran in the 
dim distance. Then we left the water entirely, and on both 
sides of the train was the beautiful landscape, which was broken 
at short intervals with towers and cities. Among them, a few 
miles from Glasgow, is Paisley, noted for its being the location of 
the Coates and Clark manufactures of thread, and also for Pais- 
ley shawls. The impression made by the landscape was more 
favorable than on Saturday. While it lacks the hedges and 
some features which we so much admired in the English land- 
scape, it has some distinctive features of its own, and is very 
beautiful. 

We arrived in Glasgow at twelve o'clock, and pointing out 
our array of luggage to a man with a hand-truck, were soon 
located in the Central Station Hotel, and reading letters from 
home of July 226. and 25th. They were very welcome, as was 
also the Eco7iomist^ which came by the attention of Mr. M . 

Finding that a steamer would leave to go down the Clyde at 
two o'clock, we obtained some lunch and boarded her to go to 
Greenock, twenty-two miles distant, and see the ship-building. 
You all know how great an industry that is on the Clyde, yet 
some statistics may be interesting to you. In 1889 about 
two hundred and fifty iron and steel vessels, of three hundred 
and thirty-five thousand tons burden, were launched from the 
banks of this little river. The business requires immense 
quantities of material and employs many thousand men. 

It is very much depressed now, as is all business the world 
over, yet to me the rattle of the hammers and the bustling 
employed people was very inspiriting, and made me feel a little 
guilty of idleness. A large numberof the yards are in idleness. 
In others we saw many small and great ships in all stages 
of building, two of them floating the cross of Great Britain, in- 
dicating that they would be launched at high tide four-twenty 
p. M. 

The first steam-engine was made in this city by James Watt, 



156 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

a native, in 1763, and the first steamer on this side of the Atlan- 
tic was placed on the Clyde by Henry Bell in 1812, and plied 
between Glasgow and Greenock. An immense fleet of vessels 
belong here, and all nations whose colors honor craft are 
usually represented in the harbor. 

Glasgow is the commercial capital of Scotland, and in 1890 
had eight hundred thousand people. It is the second city in the 
kingdom, and the rival of Manchester arid Liverpool in manu- 
factures and shipping. Only half a century ago the Clyde here 
was only one hundred and eighty feet wide and three feet deep, 
but by dredging it has been increased until now it is four hun- 
dred and eighty feet wide and twenty-four feet deep. So you 
can see how comparatively young the city is in the things which 
make it great, and also that iis people must be a pushing 
people. 

Our ride was made more interesting by a gentleman, who is 
a surgeon in the army, pointing out to us the things of interest. 

As we were parsing a promontory, like an island of rock stand- 
ing up out of the water, I think fully a hundred feet high, with 
very abrupt sides, having a castle on the river side and a wall 
clear around, "That," said he, "is Dumbarton Castle and Dum- 
barton Rock. They occupy a place in Scottish history. Many 
fights have occurred about those old walls, and they figure with 
the history of Wallace. Over the hill there you can just see 
the top of the house. It is the estate of Lord Overton. They 
had a garden party a couple of weeks ago, and there were two 
hundred carriages. 

" Here on this side is the home of Lord Blantyre ; you can see 
the house plainly in a few minutes," and we did, an old gray 
pile, which told of years. The park rises easily back from the 
river, and is very beautiful. 

Then Colonel Macfadin, for that was the gentleman's name, 
said, " There ! look close by the sides of those ships there, where 
you see that green field and those trees ; that is the estate of the 
Duke of Argyle. One of the sons is married to one of the 
Queen's daughters. You ought to know about him, for he was 
Governor-General of Canada." " Oh, yes, we know about the 
Marquis of Lome." " Well, he will be the Duke of Argyle, if he 



EUROPE FKOiM MAY TO DECEMBER. 1 57 

outlives the old Duke. Great estate they have, and others too. 
They are here but little. 

" You see those heather hills there? Great place for grouse. 
The law is out on the 12th, and then we can commence to shoot. 
It is wonderful the immense amounts that are paid here for the 
shooting privileges. The Duke of Argyle got ten thousand 
pounds last season for his. Well, of course, that included the 
house, still it is a good bit for six weeks ; but then they had the 
use of the Duke's paper, and some people would be willing to 
pay for that, a big lot." 

The two hours and the twenty-two miles were soon passed, 
and having exchanged cards with the Colonel, we walked down 
the gang-plank at Greenock, walked through the streets and 
peered into the shop windows a little time, then after climbing a 
long flight of stone steps up to the top of a hill to a little park, 
from which we had a fine view, we went to the railroad station, 
and at six o'clock were here in our room. It is now eleven-twenty, 
and my partner, having retired some time ago, is sleeping 
soundly. I think I will follow suit. Good-night. 

Wednesday, the 8th. — We were ready and at business early. 
Eight-thirty we were out on the street among the stores. We 
have been surprised ever since we have been in Great Britain, 
at the slowness of the people in getting to their places of busi- 
ness in the morning. In our country, in the cities, all places of 
business are in operation certainly as early as eight o'clock, but 
it is not so here. About nine o'clock is as early as you can 
expect to accomplish anything in the stores. They commence 
to open at eight, but the attendants are not on hand until later. 
In this and in other things I see that the business portion of 
the people don't put in the many hours, and they don't work as 
rapidly as we do. 

We spent the first half of the day around the stores, doing a 
little shopping and sight-seeing. It was interesting, but the 
people are not the perfect shopkeepers that the English are. 
They have not the same nice manners. The stocks of goods 
are large, and of great variety, and it seemed to me that con- 
siderable business was being done, although it rained much of 
the time. 



158 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

After lunch we went for a ride to the suburbs on a tram-car. 
We saw some of the resident districts, and the city is well built 
and very clean. 

On our return we went to the cathedral. I found that my 
interest in cathedrals was not all gone yet, though it is not as 
keen as it was earlier. I told my partner that I did not intend 
to go to all the cathedrals on the continent. This one is a Pres- 
byterian Church now, and is extremely wonderful in beautiful 
windows. They are modern, and the glass in them cost one hun- 
dred thousand pounds. It is this cathedral that is mentioned 
in the story of Rob Roy, and it dates from the fourteenth cen- 
tury. 

In a glass case in the cathedral are two well worn battle flags, 
and the inscription on them reads, "The 26th, or Cameronian 
Regiment raised in Douglas muir, 1683." It gives campaigns 
that the regiment took part in in many parts of the world. 

Adjoining the cathedral is the necropolis, situated on a hill, 
which I think is nearly, if not entirely, a hundred feet above its 
surroundings. The sides are quite steep, and the ascent is made 
on roads, or by paths, which zigzag back and forth and look like 
terraces. There are many monuments and stones of large size, 
and the effect of the hill^nd all as you approach, and gaze upon 
the whole, is very striking. We tugged up the hill, and when we 
had gotten to the top and entirely away from shelter, save such 
as the tombs could afford, it commenced to rain and rained a hard 
shower. We sat down in the entrance of one of the tombs, held 
our umbrellas over us, and let it rain. When it stopped to take 
breath, preparatory to going at it again, we walked on and came 
to a monument which is very massive and about eighty feet 
high. There are many things, which the inscription says, and 
from among them I selected these. " In 1547 and in the city of 
Glasgow, John Knox, surrounded with danger, first preached the 
doctrines of the Reformation." "In 1559, on the 24th of August, 
the Parliament of Scotland adopted the Confession of Faith pre- 
sented by the reform ministers, and declared Popery to be no 
longer the religion of the Kingdom." 

The monument is surmounted by a heroic figure of John Knox. 
It was erected, by public subscription, in 1825. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 1 59 

Then we went on again looking at the monuments and stones. 
There is a fine assortment of Scotch names, and undoubtedly all 
the clans are represented in the Necropolis. 

Having recuperated again, the rain commenced harder than 
ever, and we hurried down to the porter's lodge for shelter. 
The gatekeeper asked us in. My partner busied herself in 
reading the rules relating to the Necropolis, while I sat in silence 
and boiled internally about the rain. At last we could leave the 
little house, and we concluded to give the day up as a bad one 
and come home, where we arrived at four o'clock, thinking that 
the dinner hour, six-thirty, was a long way off. 

If you could have the rain and cool, that we could spare, the 
average would be much better. As you see by the letters, it 
rains almost all the time, and it is very cool. We sleep under 
two and three blankets, and a spread, then frequently put our 
wraps on top. We have bought heavier under-clothing than 
we had provided ourselves with, and we are hardly ever com- 
fortably warm, unless we are walking, or in bed. 



LETTER XIX. 

Glasgow, Aug. 9th, 1894. 

We have seen more of the city to-day by walking and riding 
by tram-car. You cannot walk through the Municipal Building 
(City Hall) at your own sweet will as you can through the dirty 
and smoky City Hall in our own city. That is not the way 
they do it here. As you enter an officer meets and tells you 
you will be shown through the building at certain hours. If it 
happens to be during those hours, you will be undoubtedly told 
to be seated until the usher or conductor comes to accompany 
you. Then you go with him, and he opens the doors and calls 
your attention to the particular things. 

The building was built about five years ago, at a cost of six 
hundred thousand pounds, and is a magnificent structure. Mar- 
bles of different kinds and alabaster are used a great deal in the 



l6o EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

interior decoration, while mahogany, satinwood, and American 
walnut, richly carved, are some of the rare woods. There is a 
grand banquet-hall, and magnificent reception-rooms, while even 
the council chamber is most elegantly finished with South 
American walnut, and is a gem for beauty. The exterior orna- 
mentations in carvings and statuary are very pretty, and, while 
elaborate, it is not overdone. 

The building is graceful and pleasing to the eye, when seen 
from any position, inside or outside. I think in elegance and 
beauty it is far ahead of any building in Chicago. Now please 
don't think I am going crazy. I know this will sound very 
funny from me, hence I will say it quietly. I am inclined to 
the belief that Oscar Wilde and Kipling, and the rest of the lot, 
* were half right when they laughed at Chicago architecture. 
: Nevertheless, I am for Chicago all the time, but Glasgow is a 
fine city, big, clean and bustling. Come and see it. 

There are some things that the people of Great Britain are 
trying to learn, among them is the use of elevators, — lifts and 
hoists as they call them. They have them in a good many of 
the hotels, but they don't work fast and light and easy as they 
do in America. They are patronized more by the Americans 
than by the people of this country. 

In the elevator this morning a lady remarked to her husband, 
" This elevator goes more like an American one than any we 
have seen yet." They are wheezing, stiff things that act as 
though they needed greasing. 

Other things are gas and electricity. In some of the hotels 
(a few of them), we have gas or electricity in our rooms — one 
burner. In the rest we burn candles. In the hall will be a table 
covered with candles ready to light. You are supposed to help 
yourself, if you want a light. In many cases there will be no 
lights in the hall, hence you must carry a candle when you go 
about. Yet wdth the many inconveniences, which we think there 
are, the people are patient, and we can learn patience from 
them. 

To-morrow morning at eight-thirty we leave here for Inverness, 
via the river and Caledonian Canal. It takes us two days to 
go, and as we will return by rail, one will be consumed coming 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. l6l 

back. We will remain there a day, hence four or five days will 
be used in the trip. On our return we will go by the lakes and 
Trossachs to Edinburgh. A short stay there and we will go to 
London, stopping in one or two places, thence to Paris. 

Benavie, Saturday nth, 1891..— We left Glasgow at the time 
contemplated as stated abo\ c by cars to Gourock, about thirty 
miles down the Clyde and the next station below Greenock, 
mentioned in No. 18, as the place where we disembarked on 
our trip to see the shipbuilding. 

Immediately on getting seated in the train, it commenced to 
rain, and rained very hard, hence the outlook for a fine day on 
the water, with the necessary sun to make the scenery right, was 
very dismal indeed. But the rain did not continue, and as we 
rolled into the station at Gourock, which is right by the pier, 
the steamer Columba hurriedly rushed up and quickly moored. 
She had left Glasgow at seven o'clock, an hour and a half ahead 
of our train, the business of the two being to connect at Gou- 
rock, and the steamer's business being to take the passengers. 
This arrangement allowed us time to take life easily in the morn- 
ing. The transfer of passengers and baggage was quickly 
made, and very quickly the boat was in the stream with her 
nose pointed toward the ocean. Then alongside came her 
consort and duplicate, the Lord of the Isles. 

Both of these large and beautiful steamers were loaded with 
" outers," as excursionists are called here. All parts of the 
Columba, our boat, was occupied, yet there were accommoda- 
tions for all. For some distance we were side by side, but ere 
long the courses diverged among the bays and islands of the 
Scottish coast, and we separated. 

Baedeker tells us that the Columba and Lord of the Isles 
are as fine, possibly the finest, river steamers in Europe. We 
were not on the Lord of the Isles, but I will say that the Columba 
is perfect in all practicable requirements ; sufficiently elegant 
in all furnishings and finishings to be in good taste. She is, 
I should think, a perfect model and is a very fast runner. I 
never saw a large steamer that was so tractable and easily 
managed, and that made its landings and starts as easily as did 
the Columba. We were keenly impressed with the fitness of 
II 



l62 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

every man, whom we noticed in her service, for his place. Yet 
for grand magnificence the Columba does not compare with the 
palaces which float in Long Island Sound. 

Our course was down the Clyde into the Firth of Clyde, and 
into the North Channel, and thence north through the Sound 
of Jura, leaving to our right, but very near to us, the Island of 
Arran, and a long narrow point of land connected with the main 
land of Scotland, and called Kintyre, thence as we go on we 
leave to our left the islands of Islay and Jura, and finally land 
at Ardrishaig, where we leave the Columba at one o'clock. All 
the time thus far we have been following a very crooked route, 
and frequently landing and letting oif and taking on passengers. 
Always are we quite near the rugged shore and velvet-like hills, 
and then, my friends, the sun was shining, and we could remain 
on deck and enjoy the magnificent panoramic scene, which we 
were rapidly sweeping by on both sides of the steamer. 

Green hills, dotted occasionally with white spots, which we 
knew to be the black-faced, goat-like Highland sheep, and occa- 
sionally little lots of the big-horned, shaggy-coated, but small, 
Highland cattle. Sometimes narrow strips of white zigzag down 
the sides of the hills, and then disappear in clumps of green, 
resembling on the green background, a strip of silvery ribbon, 
then they would appear again lower down. They were the little 
streams, which, in these days of perpetual rain, are doing a 
land office business. It was all very beautiful, having beautiful 
peculiarities of its own. 

At Ardrishaig we come to the Crinan Canal, nine miles long 
and connecting the Sound of Jura with an inlet of the ocean, 
called Loch Crinan. There are ten or more locks to go through, 
hence to make the short distance requires two hours. By the 
time we had arrived here our passengers had reduced very 
much in number, so that there did not seem many on the 
Columba, but when they were transferred to the little steamer 
Linnet, which makes the trip of the canal, for many there was 
only standing room. 

The canal is about seventy-five feet wide, I should say, and 
winds around the foot of the hill, with a coach-road on one 
side, while much of the distance on the other side is beautified 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 163 

with overhanging trees and blooming pink heather. The Lin- 
net is quite like the Ivanhoe, which you have frequently seen 
moored at the State Street Bridge. 

In one place where there are nine locks within a distance of 
about one mile, many of us disembarked to walk and again take 
to the boat at the last lock. 

Immediately we came to a woman and a girl, who were 
standing behind a table stocked with cakes, fresh milk, and 
glasses. " Milk per glass, tuppence, and cakes each, tuppence." 
The woman warranted the milk and said, " Ye canna get sae 
guid a milk ti' ye cum a-back." My partner, who is a judge of 
warm milk, said it was very nice. 

Many of the people, not having availed themselves of the ex- 
cellent restaurant on the Columba, were hungry, hence the 
stock of milk and cakes were soon converted into cash, the coin 
of the realm. There was one party to that business who viewed 
the bustling of the people about the stock in trade with dreamy 
indifference, and who undoubtedly knew all about the milk, had 
we but thought to interview her. Is it not unfortunate to have 
the natural failing of having your wits come to you after the 
opportunity is gone ? Now the cow, tied near the stable, was 
with evident satisfaction masticating her dinner, but we were 
seated on the boat when it occurred to us that to have inter- 
viewed her would have been about the right thing. 
. Next we came to a man playing bagpipes, and a small boy to 
pick up the pennies. I don't know what we paid him for, un- 
less it was to reward his industry, and the punishment he en- 
dured from the wretched noise made by the pipes. There is 
something in the make-up of Scotchmen which keeps alive two 
barbarous things which the advance of civilization would have 
long ere this done away within any other of the advanced races 
of the earth, and which, while they exist, will be a weight on the 
advancement of the Scotch people, and they are bagpipes and 
the Highland costume. 

Now, my friends, is there anything in the way of dress that 
is worn by the nineteenth-century people, so barbarous as the 
Highland costume ? And is there anything on earth so dis- 
couraging to the ear as the noise of bagpipes ? How strange 



164 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

it is that these two things are tolerated by the two most ad- 
vanced governments of the world, the United States and the 
British. 

When we came to the end of the canal we left the Linnet 
and embarked on the Chevalier, a larger and much nicer boat. 
Then we passed along by the coast of Argyle on our right, with 
occasional glimpses of the Atlantic Ocean on our left ; when 
finally passing by the Island of Mull on our left, we landed 
at six o'clock at Oban, distant from Glasgow a hundred and 
twenty miles. All the time the same beautiful scenery kept up 
without any particular change in it, except that the hills, as we 
neared Oban, approached nearer to mountains. 

At Oban we stopped at the Argyle Hotel, and from there we 
thought we would go to the islands of Statfa and lona to-day. 
Staffa, to see Fingall's Cave, and lona, the burial-place of Scot- 
tish Kings, and both the location of other things having 
historical interest. As it commenced to rain again last night, 
and as my partner has been to the islands, we decided not to 
go ; and as the weather has become very disagreeable, we are 
now content that we did not, but instead came here and are 
one day's journey nearer to some country where it won't rain 
every day, and where we will be warm. 

At Oban last night we walked about in the twilight, watched 
the people, and listened to the music from an orchestra. It 
was located in a little pavilion near the water. 

Wherever we go the music is almost all of it familiar to us. 
Occasionally, of course, we hear melodies of the country, as for 
instance, last night and to-day on the boat, we had some Scotch 
melodies, but usually the music is that which may be heard in 
Chicago, London, Vienna, or Rome. Language and customs 
are not nearly as universally the same as the music. This 
similarity in music the world over is comparatively modern. I 
wonder what its tendency is. 

We left Oban at ten o'clock this a. m. per steamer Moun- 
taineer and arrived here at Benavie about one-thirty. It has 
rained much of the day, and has been very cold and disagree- 
able. The tops of the hills, which have increased in size until 
they are n.ow mountains, are covered with clouds, the valleys 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 165 

are full of heavy mists and the weather and the writer's tem- 
per are not in harmony. This is the southern end of the 
Caledonian Canal, the northere end, our destinatton, being 
Inverness. We go on by boat Monday, and perhaps during 
the quiet, restful Sunday that we expect to-morrow the weather 
will reflect and grow ashamed, and then behave better. 

There is not any town here ; only this, the Locheil Arms 
Hotel, some little houses in which the attendants on the locks 
live, the locks, and the small valley surrounded by mountains. 
We will retire early and get warm. The bed looks inviting now, 
and we have not dined yet. 

To-morrow being August 12th, the game law protecting 
grouse ceases to be in effect, and the shooting begins. To be 
in readiness the shooters are now at the shooting houses, or are 
getting to them as rapidly as they can. We see them all about 
us, on the boats and cars, with their dogs and guns. A gentle- 
men remarked to me yesterday that legally there could not be 
any shooting done until Monday, yet Monday morning would 
undoubtedly find plenty of grouse in the London market. This 
reminded me of home. 

We have now dined, and as we came through the hall from 
the dining-room we saw some gentlemen who were weighing 
their catch of fish, and immediately I was reminded of Black's 
novel, " White Heather." The scene is in the Highlands and 
there is much said about salmon fishing and salmon. These 
gentlemen had seven salmon which weighed from seven to nine 
pounds each, and a considerable quantity of what they called 
sea trout. The salmon is a beautiful fish in all ways. This lot 
was caught in Locheil. 

Sunday, August 12th, five p. m. — The day has been just 
as disagreeable as it could be. It has rained much of the time, 
and to add to the discomfort, the wind has blown strong and 
cold. 

Since we left Glasgow we have become acquainted with a lady 
and gentleman from Edinburgh. They are very charming 
people, and they are interested in us to learn about America, 
and we are much interested in them as being representative 
Scotch people, and for their sincerely friendly ways. 



l66 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

My partner has not ventured out of the house to-day. There 
has not been anything that could have been done but walk, and 
the enticements have been to stay in. 

Mr. Maule, the gentleman referred to above, and the writer 
prepared for the storm and went for a walk before lunch. Our 
route took us along by the moor, as the lowland in the valley is 
called, and by the side of a turf bog, on which there is much of 
the stuff dug and piled ready to be hauled away. Our attention 
was attracted to a very small, poor-looking stone cottage with 
thatched roof, and we concluded to call and visit the occupants. 
This was disputed with much determination by a very noisy dog, 
but we carried out the conclusion. We found the occupant to 
be a man, who told us he had lived there for many years, and 
that he was more than threescore and ten years old. He said 
he used to be a shepherd, but that he was not now. He also 
said that he lived alone, but that occasionally a woman was 
there for short stays. The old man was civil, but not inclined 
to be communicative, so we left him sitting by his turf fire with 
his uncivil companion. 

Directly in front of our windows, a half mile distant, is Ben 
Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Islands, the top being 
four thousand, four hundred and six feet above the sea. Yester- 
day once or twice, when the clouds drifted away and uncovered 
the top, we could see patches of snow, which is ever there. 

While walking to-day by the locks of the canal, our attention 
was attracted by a plaintive call of a sheep, which we saw swim- 
ing in the lock where it had fallen. To get it out was not an 
easy matter, for the walls of the lock are smooth and perpen- 
dicular, and it is ten feet down to the water. From one of the 
cottages we got a man, who brought a rope in which he made a 
loop, which he got around nannie and pulled her up to terra 
firma. She was glad to get out and scampered off to the rest 
of the family without thanking us. 

Inverness, Monday, August i3tK. — At nine-thirty this a. m. 
we took seats on the deck of the very nice steamer, Glengarry, 
to continue our journey. Soon the people joined us who had 
left Oban at six o'clock, and immediately we were in motion. 
The journey from Glasgow to Inverness by water the route 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 1 67 

we are taking, is planned for two days. The first day landing 
the passengers at Oban where they remain for the night, and 
continue the journey in the morning, starting from Oban at six 
o'clock. Now this six o'clock business is not popular in our 
party, hence instead of leaving there at six o'clock, we remained 
and left on the next boat at ten o'clock, and went to Benavie, 
where we caught the boat which connects with, and takes the 
passengers, who leave Oban at six o'clock. 

1 advise you all, when you make the trip, not to leave the 
boat the first day at Oban, but continue on to Benavie. You 
will arrive there at nine o'clock, which, in this country, is yet in 
daylight. 

The day was all we could wish for. Clouds floated about 
quite abundantly, but the sun shone most of the time bright 
and warm, and there was not any wind. The mist which had 
filled the valleys for the two previous days was gone, and the 
clouds frequently allowed us to see the tops of the mountains. 
Even Ben Nevis stood out bold and uncovered occasionally, and 
as we pushed out toward the north and arrived where we could 
see him on the north side, we saw acres of snow, which some 
people who had made his ascent, told us is thirty feet deep in 
places. 

The magnificence of the scene, as described before, was in- 
tensified by the fine day, and the perfect comfort which we 
were enjoying, until everything pertaining to the journey was 
absolutely perfect. The distance from Banavie to Inverness is 
one hundred miles. The canal, as the course is called, the 
Caledonian Canal, is made up of pieces of canal which connect 
the little lakes, and the whole forming a course for ocean 
vessels of moderate size, which have ingress to it by the route 
which we have come, or at the northern end, Inverness. For 
beauty and loveliness it is all that we have heard of it, but to 
be appreciated the weather should be as to-day has been. If it 
is, then you can enjoy the constantly changing panorama of 
green and gold and water, of which you know beautiful pictures 
can be made. Landings are frequently made, and there are 
many locks which afford diversity of interest. Soon this 
morning we came to some locks where there was some minutes 



l68 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

delay. A lazy man with a wheezing concertina played, 
accompanied by a young woman who beat with a small iron 
rod some small bells. They undoubtedly thought they made 
m„usic, and a good many pennies were thrown to them. 

At the next lot of locks an Irishman done up in Irish costume 
and carrying a shillalah, sang Irish songs and danced jigs. He 
also received good value for what he furnished. We passed a 
good many ruins, among them those of Urquhart Castle, which 
a gentleman told us there was authentic history of as far back 
as the twelfth century, eight hundred years. 

At several places we left the boat, while it went through the 
locks, once walking two miles and catching the boat again at 
other locks. This was at the historical place. Fort Augustus. 
In that tramp there was only my partner and our Edinburgh 
friend and the writer. At another place we pass the very 
romantic ruins of Invergarry Castle. In Loch Ness, which is 
twenty-four miles long, but not wider than a medium-sized 
American river, the boat lands until all who wish to climb up 
the side of the hill for three-quarters of a mile and see a very 
beautiful waterfall. 

It is the Fall of Foyers. The water falls ninety feet, and 
Baedecker tells us it is likely the ^nest fall in Great Britain, 
And this is the way the journey is made from Glasgow to Inver- 
ness via the Caledonian Canal. 

Finally we arrived at the end at six o'clock, and are quartered 
at the Palace Hotel. Take the journey. 



LETTER XX. 

Inverness, August \\th^ 1894. 
Our walk to-day took us to a part of the city called Milburn, 
where there were sales of live stock being held: this being 
the market-day for that kind of stock. We wanted particularly 
to see the Highland cattle, and succeeded very satisfactorily, 
there being several little lots of them in the market. They are 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 169 

pretty animals, larger than the Jersey cattle and about the size 
of the Alderney. They have long spreading horns and a very 
shaggy coat. 

A very accommodating and polite farmer told us that when 
the winter would come their hair would be six or more inches 
long. They are worth from fifty to seventy-five dollars each, 
according to their perfection. 

The quality of the stock which was displayed in the market 
was very good. The prices generally seemed high to me, though 
sheep, good mutton sheep, sold at six-fifty each, and that I 
thought low. 

After leaving the market we went on out into the country, and 
back by another street, and had a look at the outskirts of the 
little city. There are about eighteen thousand people here, and 
it is a well-built, clean, and interesting city. It is an old town 
and is situated on the River Ness at its entrance into the 
Beauley Firth, which connects with the North Sea, or German 
Ocean. 

Directly in front of our hotel, only the width of a narrow 
street in distance from the entrance, is the river, which runs 
swiftly. Immediately across on quite high land is a castellated 
building, the county buildings and prison. It is the site of 
the Castle of Macbeth, in which it is thought King Duncan 
was murdered. 

In our walk we passed, at twelve o'clock, one of the public 
schools, and found ourselves in the midst of swarms of children 
just dismissed for the noon recess. We decided that they 
were much cleaner and better clad than a like crowd in our own 
city. In the streets, where the working people live, their houses 
are clean, their children comfortable, and you do not see any 
evidences of poverty or wretchedness, and there are not any 
beggars. We have seen but very few beggars indeed in 
Scotland. 

Two and a half miles from the city are the remains of a 
Druidical work, likely a temple. The general shape and indi- 
cations of the works are like those in Stonehenge, England, 
though the stones are not nearly, not half, as large. Our walk 
to the Druidical circle was by a road which crosses a moor. 



170 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

and there were frequent puddles of water which are not 
allowed to disappear in these ever-continuing rains. We were 
in several showers during the outing, one of which compelled 
us to seek shelter. But we saw the old stones, and from the 
hill which they decorate we had a grand view of the city, the 
surrounding country, and the Firths of Beauley and Moray. 
The stones, however, did not tell us anything about the unknown 
people who placed them there. When we returned at half-past 
two, before us roast beef, bread and butter did not have much 
chance. 

There is nothing left of Cromwell's fort, built in 1652-7, but 
some of the embankments ; but near by it is a small kennel of 
dogs, and they are not dead by any means. They belong to a 
dealer in dogs, and while he recommends them all individually, 
he cannot dispute that collectively they are mongrel. This 
being the land of terriers, they predominated. There Were 
Skyes, Scotch, Irish, and Fox terriers, and they were a very 
friendly lot. There were a variety of pups, in which my partner 
was much interested, and about which she learned all that the 
attendant knew, while I stood by in a doggish mood. 

Stirling, the 15th : — We left the capital of the Highlands 
shortly after ten o'clock this a. m. Inverness is called the capi- 
tal of the Highlands. For a couple of hours our route lay along 
the coast, much of the time in sight of the North Sea ; in a very 
beautiful farming country, covered with good crops and stock 
and the things which go to make up a rich agricultural country. 
Being made up of valleys and hills, and there being good homes 
and trees, the landscape was beautiful. Had the hedges been 
there, which in my estimation add so much, it would have 
compared very favorably with any of the English landscapes of 
which I have written so much. 

Of course all the time we had things of historical interest, 
of some of which we only got glimpses, but did not know about, 
while about others we knew or learned some things. Near 
Inverness on our right we passed the battlefield of CuUoden, 
where Prince Charles Stuart, pretender to the Scottish throne, 
was defeated in 1746. On our left we passed a fine ruin, which 
we were told was one of the castles of the Stuarts. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 171 

We pass and halt at interesting and clean towns, some of 
them very romantically located about ravines and streams of 
water, and surrounded with heather-covered hills. The heather 
is of the pink variety, and being in bloom is beautiful, and as 
it covers all places where cultivation is not carried on, there 
appears to be no barren land, yet that which produces heather 
does not produce anything else but game, and the heather is 
comparatively useless. But it is much more pleasing than rock- 
covered hills. 

Gradually the country became more mountainous and untill- 
able, and we left behind us the fields and timber ; these feat- 
ures increasing until we were in the Grampian Mountains, and 
then for miles we wound through the valleys among them ; at 
times going miles without seeing a human habitation, except 
occasionally the stone cottage of a shepherd, or the cottages of 
the track men. For miles and miles we rode without seeing a 
tree or a twig; absolutely nothing at all about us, save the hills, 
whose surfaces are covered with heather and grass, though 
where the heather grows it occupies the land. Thousands of 
sheep roam over and feed on the grass on the mountain sides. 
Patches of snow are much of the time visible up in the gullies, 
and the mountain streams are at flood stage with the rain that 
falls constantly. 

For many miles along by the railway is one of the old roads 
of the country, with its smooth, clean surface, and its stone 
bridges. By the side of it, at short intervals, are posts about 
ten feet high to mark where the road is, after the big snows 
which visit this country settle down on it. I could not fail to 
imagine what a desolate country it must be when those snows 
come. 

Finally again we have trees and fields of grain and grass, and 
fine houses, and the beautiful landscape is again about us, and 
the gloom of barrenness is gone. 

At Pitlochry we left the train at three o'clock or a little later, 
and having fortified ourselves with roast beef, bread and butter, 
we started with the conveyances, which we always have with 
us, for Killiecrankie Station via Killiecrankie Pass, the distance 
by rail being three and a half miles, but greater by our route. 



1/2 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

Immediately it began to rain, and it rained hard during the 
whole walk. We were just one hour and fifteen minutes doing 
the job. The Pass of Killiecrankie is in a deep and very 
romantic ravine, in the bottom of which runs very swiftly, amoug 
great rocks, the Tummel River. It was in this Pass, in 1689, 
that the troops of William the Third were defeated by the Jacob- 
ites under Viscount Dundee. The spot where Dundee fell 
in the engagement is pointed out. At Pitlochry, on our return 
by train, we picked up our baggage again, and pursued our 
journey. At the old city of Perth we changed cars, and stood 
up by the lunch counter and had supper. 

We are now at Stirling, and it is time to retire. When the 
story goes on, it will tell you of the castle. 

Balloch,. August i6th : — Immediately after breakfasting, we 
started for Stirling Castle. We had not gone but a short dis- 
tance until we were met by two men in uniform, with the word 
guide on their hats. We told them we did not want a guide. 
Immediately we came to a large church and went in. It was 
the Grayfriars Church, built in two parts, one of which dates 
early in the thirteenth century, and the other late in the fifteenth. 
It was here in the latter-built part, built by James the Third, 
the grandfather of Mary Queen of Scots, which was afterward 
demolished by her son, James the First of England and James 
the Sixth of Scotland, that Mary Queen of Scots was crowned 
Sunday, September 9th, 1543, she being at that time nine months 
old. History says she cried, and she had cause to, for the 
Crown of Scotland in those days was enough to make strong 
men cry. We stood where the infant queen received the crown 
which made her so much trouble, walked about and looked at 
the church, and having dropped a sixpence into the hand of the 
old attendant, passed out and into the churchyard, and through 
it to Stirling Castle. 

Stirling Castle is now the home of the Ninety-third Regiment, 
called the Ninety-third Highlanders. Squads of the regiment 
were drilling all about, and as we passed in through the old 
portals, we met the band coming out carrying their bagpipes, 
and dressed in the full Highland costume. 

There is authentic history of the existence of Stirling Castle 



EUROPE FR(3M MAY TO DECEMBER. 1 73 

as early as the twelfth century, and that it was then a structure 
of importance and the residence of Kings. 

To attempt the history of StirHng Castle would be almost like 
attempting the history of Scotland, so closely is it connected 
with almost every event of importance in Scottish history. It 
has been fought for by Kings, and has been defended by 
Kings and their armies. It has been the home of Kings and 
Queens, and the prison of Kings and Queens alternately, and 
at the same time, for hundreds of years. In 1174 it was sur- 
rendered to the English, together with four other Scottish fort- 
resses, as a pledge for the ransom of William the Lion. The 
last attempt to carry Stirling by siege and demolition was 1746, 
when Prince Charles, the pretender to the throne of Scotland, 
was defeated in his attempt to gain possession. 

May 24th, 1425, Charles the First held a trial court in Stir- 
ling Castle. He sat on his throne as judge, and the jury was 
composed of twenty-one of his nobles. Before that court Wal- 
ter Stuart, eldest son of the Duke of Albany was tried and con- 
victed of robbery. He was tried in one day, and beheaded the 
same day. On the following day the Duke and his second son, 
Alexander, and the Earl of Lennox, then eighty years old, were 
tried before the same court and jury, and convicted, but of 
what is not known. They were all executed on the same day. 
These executions took place near the castle on what is called 
Heading Hill. The beheading stone is yet there, protected from 
relic-hunters. It can be seen plainly from the castle walls, and 
my partner and I paid it a visit. 

Doune Castle, which was built by and was the home of the 
Duke of Albany, can be seen plainly from the hill, hence the 
people died within view of their home. Of this Scott says, 

" And thou, O sad and fatal mound ! 
That oft hath heard the death-axe sound, 
As on the noblest of the land 
Fell the stern headsman's bloody hand." 

Very near the castle and overlooked from the wall is what is 
called the King's Park, in which were held the games and 
tournaments of the old time, some of which were mortal combats. 



174 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

The unhappy life of Mary is associated with Stirling in dif- 
ferent ways, and at different times. In March, 1565, she went 
there with her court and took up her residence. Afterward, 
when buried in the sea of trouble which seemed to follow her 
family, and which engulfed her, she made a hurried visit there 
to see her infant son. While en route on her return to Holyrood, 
she suffered the fiendish brutality of her life in being kidnapped 
by the Earl of Bothwell, and carried to Dunbar Castle. 

At the entrance to the castle we accepted the assistance of a 
guide, with whom it was a great pleasure to make the rounds. 
He was entirely competent, and while interested in his work, did 
not make of it a vehicle for the exploitation of his oratorical 
qualifications. He told us that only certain men as guides can 
enter the castle, and they are veterans. Also that had we em- 
ployed either of the two men who offered their services, men- 
tioned above, they could not have entered the castle with us. 
They could have gone about the outside, but not in. You better 
all make note of this. In this connection, let me say, when you 
visit Great Britain, and are met by people who offer themselves 
as guides to places of interest which may be in your vicinity, 
don't employ any until you are at the place, If you need a guide 
the chances are that you will find one at the place who has 
greater advantages and who is more competent than the outside 
fellows. 

Well, inside the guide showed us the Parliamentary Hall, now 
a barrack for soldiers, also the Lion's Den, where wild beasts 
fought battles with each other for the amusement of the nobles 
and their guests. 

He showed us Mary's rooms, now the residence of the officers 
of the garrison, and took us around on the top of the outer wall, 
and pointed out the things of historical interest, and the many 
places of historical interest which cover the plain far beneath 
where we stood. 

Of the many battles that have been fought about Stirling per- 
haps none is of more importance than the battle of Bannockburn, 
fought in 1314, when Robert Bruce, as patriot leader, secured 
the independence of Scotland. A flagstaff marks the place, 
which is plainly seen from where we stand on the castle walls. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 1 75 

The altitude of the place we occupy, while overlooking these 
things, is three hundred and twenty feet above the plain. In 
the distance are the mountains, nearly all of whose names are 
Ben : Ben Lomond, Ben Venue, Ben Ledi, Ben Voirlich, Ben 
Vane, etc. 

We walked where Mary walked and stood while she watched 
the games in the King's Park, and stood where an engraved 
stone tells of a visit of the present Queen in 1842. 

The guide showed us where the dungeon is which held Rod- 
erick Dhu a prisoner, and left us at the entrance to the room 
in which James the Second stabbed the Earl of Douglas in 1452. 
Douglas was buried in the grounds which are now called Douglas 
Garden. Some years since (only a few) some remains were 
found which it is thought were his. Having looked over the 
mementoes in the Douglas room, and having visited the Armory, 
we bade adieu to the old mass with all its history and passed 
on, carrying with us as a relic the memory of two most delight- 
ful hours. 

Two miles from the city of Stirling is Abbey Craig, a very 
high and steep hill, the site of the Wallace Monument, which 
was completed in 1869. It is two hundred and twenty feet high, 
and at one corner is a spiral stairway which admits of ascent 
to the top. Tram-cars ply back and forth from the city. My 
partner and I started to walk, expecting the car to overtake us, 
when we would get on it, but it was so long in overtaking us 
that we walked all the way, and having the same experience on 
our return trip, we walked all the way back. When we first 
commenced to climb spiral stairs it made us dizzy, but it did not 
at all this time. We have evidently gotten used to it. As you 
ascend the stairway you come to three different landings, which 
lead into as many large" and high vaulted chambers. The first 
of these is decorated with ancient armor, stained glass windows, 
coats of arms, etc. The third is the Hall of Heroes, having 
busts of Scottish' notables, among them one of Burns, and one 
of Scott presented by Andrew Carnegie ; also one of George 
Buchanan, historian, presented by the Caledonian Club of Fort 
Wayne, Indiana, U. S. A. 

Buchanan made a translation of the Psalms when a prisoner 



1/6 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

in Portugal, and he was tutor to Mary, and her son, James the 
Sixth. He was a very great man. 

In this room also is the sword of Wallace, five feet and four 
inches long, and very heavy. With it is this inscription, " The 
sword that seemed fit for archangel to wield- was light in his 
terrible hand." 

Wallace was a giant in every way. The monument occupies 
the site of his army just before the Battle of Stirling Bridge, 
where he gained a complete victory over the English in 1297. 
Through treachery he afterwards fell into the hands of the 
English, and was executed in London in 1305. 

In the rooms of the monument the echo is very good, and 
visitors are apt to whistle or sing to hear it. Being inspired 
with the Scotch surroundings, it occurred to me to sing Annie 
Laurie, which I did, a few lines of. I flattered myself I had 
done very well, and that with the aid of the echo it sounded 
first-rate, and was thinking how well the people above us must 
have been pleased, when my partner killed it all by asking me 
please not to repeat it. 

At last we were on top of the monument and surveying the 
magnificent panorama of city, castle, country, and mountains. 
We could see well below us the many windings of the Firth. 
It is wonderfully crooked. 

The distance to Alloa, as the pigeon flies, is six miles 
from Stirling, while by river it is nineteen, and the two are 
connected by the river. 

Finally we were back in the city waiting for the train to 
Glasgow, and were full of the delightful experience of the day. 
It was charming ! To help out it did not rain much, only a 
little. 

At four o'clock we were in Glasgow, where we got our baggage, 
which we had left there on starting for Inverness a week before. 
At seven o'clock we arrived here, one hour from Glasgow e7t 
route for Edinburgh via the Trossachs. Trossachs mean bris- 
tling rough country. The tour of the Trossachs is either from 
Glasgow to Edinburgh, or from Edinburgh to Glasgow via the 
Trossachs. We are now en route from Glasgow to Edinburgh 
via the Trossachs, and this little town Balloch is on the way. 



EUROPE EROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 1 77 

We came here this evening to save taking a train at eight in the 
morning. 

We are now at the south end of Loch Lomond, and will take 
the little steamer for the continuation of our journey at nine 
o'clock in the morning. This is the Rob Roy country, and the 
next will tell you some things about that hero. 

We will undoubtedly change our route from Edinburgh. We 
think we will go by steamer from there to the Continent, and 
not go to London now. We have ordered our trunks to be 
sent from London to Edinburgh to make our arrangements. If 
you should meet us on State Street, you would fling pennies 
to us. 



LETTER XXL 

Edinburgh, Simday, Attg. 19th, 1894. 

According to the intention stated in the last we left Balloch 
Friday morning by steamer Queen, continuing the trip of the 
Trossachs, The route of the boat was through Loch Lomond 
nearly the entire length, nineteen miles, the entire length being, 
I believe, twenty-five miles. 

Immediately on our right, standing up in bold perspective, 
done in several shades of green, stood Ben Lomond, his top 
covered with clouds, thirty-one hundred and ninety-two feet 
above the sea. On our left the mountains were not as hio^h, 
and not as near to us ; leaving space between them and the 
water of the Loch for castles and fine homes, of which there 
are a number along the west shore ; showing the contrast between 
the present advanced age of civilization and that which is 
shown by Ben Lomond, who is as creation left him. 

Several times we stopped at landings, which were usually at 
the openings of glens, about which the naturalness was softened 
with fine hotels, and a home or two, and the things necessary 
to the landing station. 

One thing we noticed, which has been so very noticeable to 
us ever since we have been in the kingdom, and that is the 
12 



178 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

quiet which rules all the time, every place, unless it be in some 
of the great cities, and even there the noise seems subdued. 

Our little steamer appeared to think it might be Sunday and 
made just as little splutter over its work as was unavoidable ; 
and while there were crowds of people all the time about us, 
there was no loud talking or abrupt nerve-straining noises. It 
was all beautiful, beautiful ! The Lochs and the Mountains 
have been written and sung about for generations, and yet the 
story is not told, and cannot be. There were but two things 
that we could wish for that day, and they were our dear relatives 
and friends, and the sunshine. 

Our relatives and friends we miss all the time, and we would 
like to have seen Ben Lomond in the sunshine, instead of under 
the effect of the heavy, gray, damp day. 

At Inversnaid we landed at ten-thirty, where several coaches 
were in readiness for the conve5'ance of the passengers to 
Stronachlachar at the west end of Loch Katrine, and to the 
steamer Rob Roy. The distance is five and a half miles, if I 
remember rightly. The coaches were soon all filled, and were, 
with much effort, being hauled up diagonally along on the side 
of Ben Lomond and around his northern end, but my partner 
and I were not with them, having remained to go with them 
on their next trip at two o'clock, and to occupy the time in 
walking and climbing to the cave of Rob Roy, and by having 
lunch, and dreaming. 

The Macgregors claim to be immediately descended from 
Griorgar, son of Alpin, King of the Scots, who was slain near 
Dundee in 836 a. d. The possessions and popularity, and 
power of the clan became so great that the King, David the 
Second, successor to King Robert Bruce, determined to destroy 
the clan, that he thought menaced his security. His methods 
were successful, but he did not live to see the end accomplished, 
nor did several of his successors. 

He granted to the Clan Campbell, now represented by the 
Duke of Argyle, land in the rightful possession of the Macgreg- 
ors, leaving the Campbells to gain possession as best they could. 
A deadly feud was established in which the Campbells were 
finally successful, and the rnce of Alpin were driven from their 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 179 

lands, and scattered through the Highlands. They became 
what the old Scot law terms, ''broken men." The effect of this 
treatment on the Macgregors was to cause them to respect 
those who had taken their land as spoilers, whom it was their 
duty to assail, and this they did for generations. 

Finally the inhuman treatment to which they had been sub- 
jected was obliterated in the minds of the people, and they 
were regarded as disturbers of the peace, whose suppression it 
was the duty of all to aid in. 

Laws were framed against them, in which they were called 
the " disorderit and wicked thevis, and lymaris of the Clan- 
gregor," " miserabill catives," " aviperous and unhappie genera- 
tion," and other little play names like these. They were pro- 
hibited from bearing arms, save a pointless knife ; were not 
permitted to rent lands, unless their landlords became respon- 
sible for their good behavior ; no person was allowed to harbor 
them, under pain of confiscation ; they were not allowed to as- 
semble in companies of more than four, and their very name 
was prohibited. In 1633 heavy penalties were made for the 
christening of infants with the name Gregor, and for employing 
the name in legal documents. , 

These abuses went on, until the clansmen having afforded 
some assistance to Charles the Second in regaining his king- 
dom, in 1661 a law was passed annulling the statutes against 
them, and the Macgregors were permitted to take again their 
family name. 

About this time Rob Roy Macgregor was born in the man- 
sion, which now stands in Glengyle. For some years after the 
enmity between the Campbells and Macgregors seemed to have 
disappeared, and Rob Roy was in the engagement of the Duke 
of Argyle. Again, however, it broke out through the treachery 
of the Duke of Montrose, with whom Argyle became an ally, 
and against them and their property Rob Roy swore eternal 
vengeance. 

This condition of things had its foundation in the determi- 
nation of the Duke of Montrose, to whom Macgregor owed 
money, to gain possession of the latter's estates. While absent 
in England, where he went to obtain the monev, and which he 



l8o EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

did obtain, to pay Montrose, that person took possession of his 
property, and turned out into the Highland winter the Chief- 
tain's wife and family, whom it was said were treated in- 
humanly. 

To avenge the wrongs which he and his people had suffered, 
Rob Roy took matters in his own hands, and the Dukes of 
Argyle and Montrose allied against him, so he looked on them 
and their property as his prey. Finally his enemies were suffi- 
ciently powerful to have him declared an outlaw, and a large 
sum of money was offered for his capture. Several times this 
was done, but Rob always, through some means or other, suc- 
ceeding in escaping. 

The history and life of Rob Roy are interesting, grotesque, 
and pathetic. Thouirh outlawed for years, with a large booty 
standing ready for his delivery, dead or alive, he died in his 
home December 28th, 1734, in the Braes of Balquidder, 
while sitting in his chair dressed in his costume as Highland 
Chief, and while the pipers were playing. These arrange- 
ments having been made by his order in anticipation of his 
death. 

Ben Lomond and much of the surrounding country is now the 
property of the Duke of Montrose, the descendant of the enemy 
of the Clan Macgregor and their chieftain. The estate of the 
Duke of Argyle is near by. 

Rob Roy's cave is in the side of the hill or mountain, which 
may be called a continuation of Ben Lomond, overlooking the 
Loch one mile north of the Inversnaid Hotel, near to the 
north end of the Loch. A poor path is made for tourists over 
the portion where anything can be done to improve the going, 
but much of the way is accomplished by climbing from rock to 
rock. My partner and I made the journey and back to the 
hotel, where the waiters undoubtedly learned that the effort had 
not diminished our appetites. 

Very near to the landing of Inversnaid is a very pretty water- 
fall, the stream from which it is produced draining one side of 
Ben Lomond. We had a look at the falls and then did as is 
mentioned above, went and sat by the loch and dreamed and 
watched the Queen en route again from Balloch with her second 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. l8l 

load of people. Soon she landed, and the coaches being back 
again, we were soon e?i route for Stronachlacher. 

At three-thirty our traveling for the day was over, when we 
stopped at the Stronachlocher Hotel, leaving the rest of the 
company to rush on, while we would proceed the next day. 
Having taken a short walk among the hills about Loch Katrine, 
and a look at bold Ben Venue, the writer returned to the hotel 
to write and complete No. 20, while my partner loitered on the 
mountain side. 

Intending to take the Rob Roy at ten-thirty Saturday for the 
trip of Loch Katrine, we breakfasted early, to have time to see 
some things before that hour. 

Having procured a boat and a man to row, we started for 
Glengyle, the birthplace of Rob Roy, and one of the places of 
burial of the clan Macgregor. Our skipper was a brawny young 
Scotchman, whom my partner took much pleasure in interviewing 
to hear him talk. He told us he had never been as far from the 
Loch Katrine as Glasgow. " What is that house down at the end 
of the Loch ? " " It be Glengyle, mum, the home of the 
Macgregors." '' It is small, is it not ? '' " No, it be big, but 
when away it looks awfully wee. That island is Rob Roy's 
garden. Oh ! it be a bonnie place." " What would be your 
choice, if you could make it now, of things to do in the world ? " 
"I 'ud be a shepherd, mum. I hae been a shepherd many a 
lang day afore noo." " Why w^ould you be a shepherd 1 " " Oh ! 
it be sae nice ta see ye gude dog work wi ye lambs." " Are 
there many of the Macgregors about here now^ "i " " Yes, there 
be, mum." " Do they keep up the clans ? " " Yes, mum." 
" What is your name ? " " Peter Macgregor, mum," and the 
young fellow blushed an honest boy blush. " Do you belong 
to the clan 1 " " No, mum." And so the interview ran along, 
while the young Celt pulled at the oars. 

Finally we were at Glengyle, two miles from where we had 
started. A short walk brought us to the burying-place of the 
clan and the home of Rob Roy's birth. The house beins: 
temporarily let, we could not enter it, hence had to be content 
to return without that. 

On our return we stopped at another and older burying- 



1 82 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

place of the Macgregor clan, where, when we returned to the 
boat, we waited some minutes for our oarsman. Near by was 
the cottage of a crofter, as a farmer is called, from which the 
young man soon emerged. I said, "There is abonnie lass in 
that house, is there not, Peter ? " He laughed and blushed, but 
did not say no. 

The country in which we are traveling and writing about is 
called the Rob Roy Country. It is full of things associated 
with him. He is buried in the Braes of Balquidder some miles 
away. The scene of Scott's story, Rob Roy, is Aberfoyle, which 
we will mention further on. To know the history of Rob Roy 
adds much to the interest of the trip of the Trossachs. 

At twelve-thirty the smart little screw steamer Rob Roy left 
the pier, bearing us and others to the Trossachs at the eastern 
end of Loch Katrine, distant nine miles. On our right immedi- 
ately by us was Ben Venue, not as high by eight hundred feet as 
Ben Lomond, and being more rough and craggy, does not appear 
as somber and dignified as his big brother. But he is a fine 
old fellow, and much in keeping with many of his immediate 
neighbors who have more shoulders and sharp points than I 
think is general with the mountains of England and Scotland. 

One of the things, which we wished for yesterday, is supplied 
us to-day. The sun is shining bright and warm. It supplies 
the needed ingredient to the colors in the pictures about us, 
and perfects the different phases of green, the pink of the 
heather, and the gray of the rocks. Now we need but the 
other thing mentioned above, and we would have perfection 
perfected. 

The Trossachs : — Again we allow the coaches to go on with- 
out us, and we find a boatman. " Where do you want to be 
taken, sir ? " " To Ellen's Isle." 

" A stranger I," the Huntsman said, 
Advancing from the hazel shade. 
The maid, alarmed, with hasty oar, 
Pushed her light shallop from the shore, 
And when a space was gained between, 
Closer she drew her bosom's screen ; — 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 183 

Then safe, though fluttered and amazed, 
She paused, and on the stranger gazed. 
Not his the form, nor his the eye, 
That youthful maidens wont to fly. 

***** 

A while the maid the stranger eyed, 

And, reassured, at length replied, 

That Highland halls were open still 

To 'wildered wanderers of the hill. 

" Nor think you unexpected come 

To yon lone isle, our desert home ; 

Before the heath had lost the dew 

This morn, a couch was pulled for you." 

'* Now by the rood, my lovely maid, 

Your courtesy has erred," he said ; 

" No right have I to claim, misplaced, 

The welcome of expected guest. 

A wanderer here, by fortune tost. 

My way, my friends, my courser lost, 

I ne'er before, believe me, fair. 

Have ever drawn your mountain air, 

Till on this lake's romantic strand, 

I found a fay in fairyland ! " 

" I well believe," the maid replied, 

As her light skiff approached the side, 

" I well believe, that ne'er before 

Your foot has trod Loch Katrine's shore; 

But yet, as far as yesternight. 

Old Allan Bane foretold your plight, 

A gray-haired sire, whose eye intent 

Was on the visioned future bent. " 

The " Lady of the Lake " was made for Loch Katrine and 
Ellen's Isle. It could not have been without them, and they are 
perfected by it, and all belong together. 

I have thought on this trip that Bruce and Wallace wielded 
their swords and made history. They are dead for centuries, 
their swords are rusting, and the memory of their work has 
perished, save as it is kept alive by monuments. The history 
of their deeds and valor, rarely read, is decaying on the shelves. 

Burns and Scott dreamed, and wrote their dreams, and yearly 
thousands of people walk about Ayr and scatter gold, while 
they think of Tam O'Shanter and laugh ; and while they ride 



1 84 EUivOPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

through Lochs Lomond and Katrine, and dream of Rob Roy 
and the Lady of the Lake. It is another proof of the old 
adage of the greatness of the pen. 

We went to Ellen's Isle, landed in the little cove by the old 
oak tree, and climbed to the top of the stone at its highest 
peak ; then having plucked a large amount of heather, we re- 
turned to the boat and were rowed to the Silver Strand, where 
Ellen was waiting when she answered the bugle-call of James 
Fitz-James. We walked along by the end of the loch for a 
mile and a quarter, and climbed to the top of Lady Rock, and 
took a last good look at the loch, Ben Lomond, Ellen's Isle, 
and Ben Venue. Our boatman pointed out to us the Goblin's 
Cave, located in the side of Ben Venue, and presented my 
partner with a bunch of five varieties of heather, some of 
which came from Rob Roy's prison. 

Having arranged with the boatman to look after and send 
our baggage by the coaches, we walked on by the winding way 
of the Trossachs to the Trossachs Hotel, distant from the land- 
ing, one and a fourth miles. That mile and a quarter are the 
Trossachs proper. We arrived at the hotel at three-thirty, 
having walked five miles. 

We had an hour and a half before the departure of the 
coaches for lunch and rest, and we thoroughly enjoyed both, 
as we had been without them from early morning. We were 
off on time at five o'clock, our route being by the end of Loch 
Achray, and up to great height on the side of Craigmore, from 
which point we could see in the distance, eight miles, the town 
of Callender, which is the destination for other coaches going 
by another route, and which we could see miles away looking 
simply like red spots moving along the white road. 

In another direction is the little village, Dun Craggan, and 
the Brig O' Turk. When we had descended the opposite side 
of Craigmore, we were at the head water of the River Forth, 
and the pretty little town, Aberfoyle, where at seven-twenty we 
boarded the train for Edinburgh. And this is our story of the 
trip of the Trossachs, to which we gave two days, it being gen- 
erally done by tourists in one day. 

Our traveling in Scotland is now finished, and is covered 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 1 85 

with the trip to Glasgow via of Ayr from the English Lakes, 
the trip of the Clyde, the trip of the Canals, and home through 
the Grampian Mountains to Glasgow, and the trip of the Tros- 
sachs. 

We have used fifteen days to do what is generally done in 
six or seven, and feel that we could well have used more time. 
It has all been intensely enjoyable and interesting ; every move 
has furnished its portion of interest, all of which has seemed 
new and unknown. The accommodations and service are good. 
As I look back at it now it seems like a delightful dream with 
an awakening into reality. 

The weather was just as bad as it possibly could be, and we 
were much in the rain and cold wind, but all the inconvenience 
experienced thereby is obliterated in the great preponderance of 
pleasure. 

Of course there have been many pleasant incidents, which 
we have not gotten in our letters, not the least of these by any 
means was our good fortune in making the acquaintance of 
some delightful people whose home is in this city. A gentle- 
man and wife and a young girl daughter. They are away 
from here, for an outing of a month up in the Highlands, where 
they met two more of their children already there. We were 
with them three days, and were charmed with them as travel- 
ing companions and friends. They are travelers ; having been 
at one time nine months in Australia, and much on the Con- 
tinent. I think we will see them in Chicago some time. 

We had the pleasure of instructing them in euchre, of which 
they knew something, having learned a little of the game while 
in Australia, and being interested to learn more they brought 
the subject up. They will not have any more trouble now. 
Euchre is not played here, and they are instructing some friends 
in it. They had never heard of progressive euchre or dupli- 
cate whist, or any of those progressive games, and are interested 
to try progressive euchre, and we are to write and send them 
the rules. They wrote some of their people to call for us to 
drive while we are here. 

While standing with our friends in the hotel in Inverness, a 
man passed dressed in the Highland costume. I expressed 



1 86 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

myself in my peculiar way, when the gentleman turned to me 
and said, "I am coming to visit you in Chicago, and dress in 
kilts." " Do," I said, " I will pay you well, and make money 
with you." Others heard the remarks, and the laugh was 
general. 

A short distance before we came to Stirling the other even- 
ing, a gentleman and lady got into our compartment. Shortly 
my partner and the gentleman got into a conversation about 
American authors, then the subject changed to the one Ameri- 
can topic, which comes nearer than almost anything to occupy- 
ing the British mind, the tariff. I remarked that a revolution 
was taking place in America, which, when settled, would for- 
ever remove the possibility of America being a market for 
British manufacturers, and then Great Britain would see that 
the American tariff had been its friend. Th"en we stopped at 
Stirling, and the gentleman following us to the door of the 
carriage said, "Please come and see me at No. 159 Queen 
Street, Glasgow." " We will. Good-night." The next day we 
strolled into his place, and found him to be a dealer in art, and 
a student and lover of art and literature. We walked through 
his store and looked at his goods, among which there are many 
articles having value and interest as antiques. Said he, " Can 
you help me in this ? " and he brought out a book containing 
the names of all the editions of Burns that he had heard of. 
He wanted to find others, if there were any, and to obtain 
copies. I told him to correspond with General McClurg. 

He did not forget the tariff. While standing by a table cov- 
ered with pretty and small old-fashioned articles, he picked up 
one a silver smelling-bottle, and handing it to my partner 
said, " Please accept that from me to remember your call." 
She told him that was not necessary, as she would well remem- 
ber it. " Oh, yes," said he, " take it along. It is a bonnie wee 
thing, and I will be pleased to have you take it." She did so 
and thanked him. 

Well, I have gotten miles away from my story. Our route 
from Aberfoyle was by Stirling again, and for a long distance 
we had a view of the lights from the castle. As we took the 
last glimpse I thought of how many different circumstances, 



EUROPE FROM MAY '1( ) DECEMBER. 1 87 

in ages gone, the flicker of those lights had been looked for 
under. 

We were delayed a long time in our arrival by different 
things, hence it was eleven o'clock when we arrived at Darling's 
Regent Hotel. We found a number of letters, among them 
three from home of July 29th, August ist, and August 6th. 
We finished reading them all at midnight, and they were very 
welcome. 



LETTER XXII. 

Edinburgh, August^ 20th 1894. 

Yesterday, Sunday, we arose earlier than tired people, 
whose business is not any more pressing than is ours at this 
time usually do, but the case was a little imperative. We 
wanted to attend what is called the military service at St. Giles 
Church, and as the hour for it is nine-thirty o'clock, and as the 
condition of ourselves was such as to demand thorough renova- 
tion, we were compelled to allow for considerable time between 
rising and the hour of the church service. But we got there in 
ample time and had good seats. 

The service is under military auspices. The military being 
supplied by the Second Battalion of the Black Watch, the 
old 73d Highlanders, who form the garrison to Edinburgh 
castle. Their band occupies the place of the choir, and their 
chaplain the pulpit. In addition to the minister, who occupied 
the principal pulpit, another one assisted, and he did the read- 
ing. They both wore gowns, and were conducted to their places 
in the pulpits by men who carried silver-mounted poles or 
maces, and who wore gowns. These men closed the doors 
through which the ministers entered the pulpits, and placed the 
silver-mounted pole or mace in clamps made and placed to 
hold it near the preacher. We noticed other little tilings 
savoring of ritualism, and wondered what the spirit of John 
Knox can be doing these days ; I fear not attending to 
business. 



1 88 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

On the monument to John Knox in Glasgow we read these 
words : — " In 1547 and in the city of Glasgow, John Knox first 
preached the doctrines of the Reformation." Now in his own 
home city, and in the church where he preached many times, we 
see little things which remind us of Popery. What is the 
world coming to, I wonder. 

It w^as a very interesting service though. The congrega- 
tional singing was good, and the combination of band and organ 
accompaniment made the service grand, impressive, and yet 
sweet. While the collection, as the minister called it, was being 
taken up, we had an instrumental piece by some of the horns 
in the band, and it was beautiful. The men who took up 
the collection were dressed in the Highland costume, as of course 
were the band and the soldiers. 

St. Giles Church is the oldest parish church in Edinburgh. 
It was built in the twelfth century. In 1385 much of it was 
destroyed by fire, and in the fifteenth century the greater part 
of the building, as seen now, was built. There is nothing about 
it particularly pleasing to the eye, though the great stone 
columns and high vaulted arches are impressive. There are 
many things of historical interest, for instance, the Albany 
Aisle, erected in 1402 by the Duke of Albany, in expiation for 
the murder of his nephew. The windows are modern and very 
beautiful. 

The history of Edinburgh is the history of Scotland, hence 
we can give it here only such attention as must be very inade- 
quate to so interesting a subject. Edinburgh Rock, on which 
the castle stands, is in the heart of the city. Its altitude above 
Princes Street is two hundred and thirty feet, and being isolated, 
at some distance from buildings, or obstruction to the view, and 
being surmounted with the very imposing castle edifice, the 
whole effect from several points of vision is most impressive. 
It is a magnificent illustration of a time and condition of things, 
when safety lay only in the ability for defense. Originally the 
walls of the rock, on which the castle stands, were quite per- 
pendicular, as they yet are for much of the distance around it,, 
but this natural quality for safety and defense is now done 
away with on the original entrance side of the castle, by having 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 1 89 

a wide, easy, declining hill made, on which you can drive and 
enter the old portals. We gave the old home of the Stuarts an 
hour and a half with much interest, and think we will carry it in 
our memory as we saw it. 

In the top of the old mass of stone and mortar is a room 
which I estimated to be nine by eleven feet, in which James 
the First of England first saw the light. From it is a very fine 
view extending high above the city, and stopped by the mount- 
ain, Arthur's Seat. There is one window to this room, and 
from it the King, when an infant Prince, was lowered and taken 
to Stirling Castle, and there baptized in the Roman Catholic 
faith. In the larger and adjoining room is a portrait of his 
abused mother. It is a lovely face, and as you look at it, the 
pathetic story of Mary's wrongs looms up, and your throat fills 
with sympathy for the lovely young woman whose life was 
made hell, and who was murdered by those who should have 
been her protectors. I dismiss all the charges of crime against 
Mary, Queen of Scots, with the word " bah ! " I don't believe 
one of them. 

I asked the gentleman whom we called on in Glasgow, spoken 
of in the last, what he thought of the attitude of the people now 
as with reference to Mary. He answered " The people of Scot- 
land have five names which they are ever ready to defend, and 
they are Bruce, Wallace, Mary, Burns, and Scott." Said he, 
" On that subject I will read you an extract from a private 
letter of Burns, which a lady allowed me to copy recently. 
Here it is : " As to Mary, I will not say, but Elizabeth was a 
devil, neat, and imported from hell." 

Why should not Elizabeth, a daughter of Henry the Eighth, 
and with the disposition which she had, hate Mary .'* Mary, 
born in wedlock, born a queen, without question to her title of 
queen, beautiful, highly accomplished, and with strong claims 
on the throne which Elizabeth insecurely held. Think of these 
qualities, and then of the red-headed tartar who allowed her to 
be murdered. 

Mary now lies in Westminster. Her son, the English call 
" our noble King James." As a heritage he left the world the 
revised Bible, which has done so much to advance Christianity. 



IQQ EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

I would rather take the chance of Mary's than Elizabeth's place, 
wherever they may be now. 

From the apartments of Mary we went to the banqueting hall 
of the Stuart Kings, which is now the armory. It has many 
interesting specimens of armor. This hall was once the Par- 
liament Hall of Scotland. We had a look in the Crown-room 
at the regalia of the Scottish kingdom, including the sword and 
belt, the scepter and the crown, which has sat so heavily on 
many heads. Then we passed out to the court and to the side 
of the castle enclosure, and stepped into the tiny St. Margaret's 
Chapel, the oldest building in Edinburgh, dating about eleven 
hundred. Near by is Mons Meg, a cannon of large size, with 
a bore about twelve inches in diameter, made in 1455, it is 
supposed, at Mons in Belgium. It was used to fire stones from. 
Two hundred years ago it exploded when firing a salute, since 
when it has been silent. 

One strange thing about Mons Meg is she is made of coiled 
iron, which is the modern way of making large cannon. There 
are several inscriptions about the old gun, showing that it has 
traveled and had much experience. 

We walked around the walls lost in admiration of the mag- 
nificent scene which the situation affords, stopping at a partic- 
ular place where the view covered a beautiful little green plat, 
the Scott monument, and beautiful Princes Street, when our eyes 
fell on an object which caused us to drop from the sublime to 
the ridiculous, and with such force as to make the nerves 
vibrate. The thing which we saw was a sign which reads " Cem- 
etery for Soldiers' Dogs." A few feet below where we stood is 
a little patch of ground, which is enclosed by an angle in the 
wall, and there along by the wall were twenty markers, indicat- 
ing as many graves, and giving the name and date of demise, term 
of service, and the name of the regiment of the honored dead. 
We said " dog on it," and strolled on out and down the hill to 
low land, a mile and a quarter, passing through old Edinburgh 
to Holyrood Palace, another residence of the Scottish Kings. 
Much of Holyrood was destroyed by fire many years ago, and 
is rebuilt. The modern portion is the home of the Queen when 
she is in Edinburgh, and is not shown to visitors, 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. I9I 

There is a large picture gallery filled with imaginary por- 
traits of Scottish Kings. Queen Mary's rooms are well pre- 
served, and contain many articles that were there during their 
occupance by the abused woman. The size and cheerfulness 
and lightness of the rooms contrast very unfavorably with the 
suite below, which were occupied by the villain, Darnley. 

There are four rooms to the Queen's suite ; an audience room, 
fairly large size, her sleeping room, medium ; a small dressing 
room, and the small room in which the Queen and a few friends 
were at supper, when her secretary, Rizzio, was murdered before 
her eyes and where it is said attempts were made to murder 
her. 

Rizzio's blood oozed out of his body and stained the floor 
in the little ante-room to the Queen's suite, where his murderers 
dragged him, and there is in the floor at the place where the 
stain was quite an indenture, which has been made by relic- 
hunters picking out bits of the board. 

The site of Holyrood Palace is the site of the Abbey of that 
name, founded in t 128, none of which now remains but the 
ruins of the chapel in which Mary was married to Darnley. 
Darnley's remains are there in a neglected tomb. 

My partner did not go with me to-day to see the Forth Bridge, 
having seen it before, and having quite an accumulation of 
writins: to do she remained at home and worked. 

To the bridge by charabanc is six miles, and a beautiful ride 
"it is. There are many visitors, requiring many coaches, which 
go well filled. It was seven years building, and cost three 
million five hundred thousand pounds sterling. The length is 
over one and a half miles, and it is three hundred and seventy 
feet from the water to the highest part, and from the bottom of 
the foundation to the top of the highest pier is four hundred 
and fifty-two feet. The length of the largest span is seventeen 
hundred and eighteen feet. It takes thirty men three years 
to paint it, and it requires fifty tons of paint. It is said to be 
the greatest bridge in the world, and surely it is a gigantic work, 
but it did not seem so awe-inspiring to me as has our Brooklyn- 
Bridge. 

Near by is one of the homes of Lord Roseberry, the present 



192 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

Prime Minister of the Empire. We were shown the towers and 
those of its neighbor, Barnbougle Castle. 

As we go to the bridge we pass many fine buildings and in- 
stitutions of interest, colleges and others, while in the distance 
to our right are the Hills of Fife, and on the left the Pentland 
Hills. 

As I sat on the charabanc to-day, I thought of how we have 
followed the harvest since we have been in the kingdom. 
While in the South of England and the Isle of Wight, im- 
mediately after our arrival, we saw the hay harvesting being 
done, and soon the oats and wheat. Since then we have been 
working northward, keeping pace with the season, until now we 
are in the presence of the hay harvest here, and the oats are 
beginning to show their golden preparations for the sickle. 

When we parted with the friends, whose acquaintance we 
made during the trip of the Canals at Inverness, they told us 
their carriage would call for us for a drive. To-day it came in 
charge of the lady's companion, who has charge of their home 
during their absence. She brought and presented my partner 
with a large bouquet of most magnificent flowers, and took us to 
drive over the Queen's drive. This is up the mountain, Arthur's 
Seat, on one side clear around and down by another side ; 
thence we went through a very pretty park called the Meadows, 
and finally stopped at the business owned by our friend where 
we met his father and were shown over the establishment. It 
is a large, fashionable, dry goods and department store, having a 
perfectly working elevator, and in the top an extremely elegant 
tea or lunch room. We accepted some of the inviting refresh- 
ments, and ended a most charming afternoon. The establish- 
ment will rank first-class in any of our cities ; and if you have 
any shopping to do while in modern Athens, I recommend 
Robert Maule & Son. 

It rained enough during our drive to require us to keep the 
top of the carriage up much of the time. 

Wednesday, August 22d : — We went by train at ten minutes 
past ten a. m. to Melrose : a half hour from Edinburgh we pass 
on our right, in good view from the train, Borthwick Castle, 
where Queen Mary and Bothwell lodged for four days after 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. I93 

their marriage, and from wliere it is said Mary departed in 
disguise. It is in excellent preservation. It is one of the old 
Border Keeps on an enlarged scale, the largest of the kind in 
Scotland. The walls are thirteen feet thick at the ground, and 
six feet thick at the top. The castle was besieged by Cromwell 
in 1650, and bears the Ciuinwellian ornamentation that is 
peculiar to many buildings and ruins all over the kingdom. 

On the right, almost opposite Borthwick Castle, is Crichton 
Castle, situated on the River Tyne. It was founded by Sir 
William Crichton, Chancellor of Scotland to James the Second, 
and was noted for its entertainments in the time of Queen Mary, 
and it is prominent in Scott's Marmion. 

" Another aspect Crichton showed, 
As through its portals Marmion rode." 

At eleven o'clock the train stops at Melrose, and in a few 
minutes we have paid our sixpence each and are inside Melrose 
Abbey. 

This is stated by excellent authority to be the finest ruin in 
Scotland. Fine in the magnificence, which is yet seen of the 
edifice as it once was. 

It was originally founded by David First in the twelfth cent- 
ury. Destroyed by Edward the Second, and rebuilt by Bruce 
in the fourteenth century, destroyed again and rebuilt in the 
iifteenth, and then Cromwell came along taking a hand in the 
work, as usual, and leaving marks which have never been 
obliterated. It is covered with exquisite carving and beautiful 
architectural designs executed by ItaUan lay monks, monks who 
were not in the service of the Church, save as physical workers, 
and they worked without pay. It was this kind of labor that 
built many of the ecclesiastical structures that are considered 
so fine. There are many empty niches and vacant places where 
images and statues once stood ; they were the special prey of 
the Puritans. 

There are many tombs of those whose names are prominent 

in Scottish history, not the least important of which is the one 

that contains the heart of King Robert Bruce. By the King's 

request an attempt was made to take the heart to the Holy 

13 



194 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

Land and bury it in the Holy Sepulcher in Palestine. Sir 
James Douglas was entrusted with the work, but was killed by 
the Saracens in Spain. His body and the heart of the King 
were both recovered and brought to Melrose and buried 
among their people. The King's body was buried in Dun- 
fermline, from where it has not been moved. 

Nearby the place of the Bruce's heart is the grave of Michael 
Scott, which has been made famous by the " Lay of the Last 

Minstrel." 

" For this will be St. Michael's night, 
And, though stars be dim, the moon is bright ; 
And the cross of bloody red, 
Will point to the grave of the mighty dead." 

We viewed the ruins from all points thoroughly, and will 
carry its appearance in our minds, not forgetting the window 
which represents the Crown of Thorns, nor the grace of the 
ruined arches. 

At twelve-thirty we started by foot for Abbotsford, two and 
three-fourth .miles. The name " Abbotsford " Scott gave to a 
small farm which he bought in 1811, and which he improved 
by adding a very fine large house and trees, and by ornamenting 
it to a most beautiful extent. The house and contents are 
quite as they were when the great novelist and poet died, and 
the place is full of many interesting and curious things which he 
collected and which were presented to him. 

His chair and desk, which he used while building the 
monument which commemorates his name in homes the world 
over, the last clothes he wore, his great library, in fact a vast 
museum of curios that would collect in the home of such a man 
during a long lifetime. Among them I will mention the cross 
that Mary carried to her execution, the bridle which it is sup- 
posed Napoleon used at Waterloo, the sword and gun of Rob 
Roy, and many arms and pieces of armor that the novelist 
gathered on the field of Waterloo. 

Among the paintings is one of Queen Mary's head, made 
immediately after the execution. 

There is also there a chest in which a lady was suffocated in a 
irolic in Geneva a 3hort time before her intended marriage, the 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. I95 

absence of the bride never being accounted for until years 
after, when her skeleton was found in the chest. I remember 
the story only from my school-books when a lad. 

We arrived in Melrose on our return tramp at three-thirty, 
and concluded that, including our walk to and from the Abbey 
before starting for the home of Scott, we had walked six 
miles. 

We lunched at the Abbey Hotel, where undoubtedly the people 
would confirm the distance. The distance from Melrose to 
Dryburgh Abbey is six miles, and we went that trip by one- 
horse carriage. 

To appreciate this story and the interest that accompanies 
these walks and drives, you must bear in mind that all the 
time we were surrounded with the most beautiful cultivated 
landscape. It possesses the hills and trees, the rivers, and 
homes, and as we move along it constantly changes to the eye, 
according to our constantly changing position. I don't think 
we will ever become tired of feasting on the landscape of 
Great Britain. 

In Dryburgh Abbey, in the vault of his ancestors, Scott is 
buried. It is a large and very interesting ruin, dating from the 
twelfth century. The frequency with which the traveler in ye 
olden time came to these vast monasteries is a source of wonder 
to me all the time. I must have been an age and country of 
monks. 

Melrose used to have as many as one hundred and ninety, 
and I should think Dryburgh as many, or more. And so they 
were, situated closely together all over the British Islands. 

We arrived in the city on our return at eight o'clock and 
added another to our list of full days. 



196 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 



LETTER XXV. 

Edinburgh, Friday, Aug. 2^h^ 1894. 

Edinburgh, frequently called the modern Athens, has about 
three hundred thousand people. The history begins with 617, 
when Edwin, King of Northumbria, built a fortress on the pres- 
ent castle rock. In 1437 ^^^ capital was moved here from 
Perth. 

There are the old and the new towns, separated by a very 
deep and wide ravine, which when in a state of nature, must 
have been a great romantic glen. This extends from east to 
west for a mile or near, I estimate the distance, with the Old 
Town on the south side, and the New Town to the north. Along 
on the brow of this ravine, on the north side, runs Princes Street, 
from east to west. The side of the street next to the ravine 
having no buildings. In the place where they would be is the 
side of the ravine, which is ornamented clear down into the bot- 
tom with beautiful gardens. It is here in these gardens that 
the monuments to Scott, Livingstone, and others are located. 

The row of buildings on the narth side of Princes Street are 
modern and costly, and very fine. Our Baedeker says perhaps 
this is the finest street in Europe. 

The land on the south side of the ravine I conclude was nat- 
urally much higher than on the north side, and being covered 
with the very high buildings of the Old Town, among them many 
high steeples and towers, the effect from Princes Street, as you 
stroll along and look at them, is very imposing and magnifi- 
cent. On that side, towering high above all the surrounding 
land is the castle rock, and on top of that is the castle, turreted 
and castellated, looking dignified and mysterious. 

From the castle and other positions on that side, we have 
very commanding and impressive views of the gardens, Waverley 
Gardens, also the Princes Gardens, as they are called, mentioned 
above, and of the fine buildings which line Princes Street. 

At the east end of Princes Street, commanding a fine view of 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. I97 

it, and of much of the city and bay, is Calton Hill, ornamented 
with the Nelson monument, one hundred and two feet high, and 
with several others. Near by in good view from Princes Street 
as you approach the hill, is the unfinished National Monument, 
intended to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo, and to imi- 
tate a Grecian Temple in ruins. 

From Edinburgh Castle, the mountain, Arthur's Seat, and 
from Calton Hill you have these fine views, which I think must 
be unequaled in the many extraordinary qualities which they 
contain. There is nothing wanting in romance or reality to 
complete the views. 

After glancing over the papers and reading the dispatches 
telling of Governor Altgeld's proclamation, calling for aid for the 
people of Pullman, and of the strike of the cotton-spinners at 
Fall River, we went about our daily business and trudged to the 
top of Calton Hill, thence into the old town by St. Giles Church, 
and to the courtyard by it, where, even with the street, is a stone 
bearing the letters and figures, "J. K., 1572," marking the burial- 
place of John Knox. A few yards from there is the figure of a 
heart in the pavement, which marks the site of the old Tol- 
booth, or City Prison, known as the Heart of Midlothian. 

Near by also is the Parliament Hall, formerly the meeting-place 
of the Parliament of Scotland. It is now the meeting-place of 
the Superior Court of Scotland. Parts of the building not be- 
ing open to visitors this time, we could not get into the library, 
which is the largest in Scotland, and where are to be seen the 
manuscripts of the Waverley Novels. 

We went on up the street among the buildings which were 
once the homes of the aristocratic people of old Edinburgh, and 
finally found ourselves on the esplanade of the castle, where 
there was taking place a muster of the garrison. 

The soldiers were dressed in the full Highland costume, and 
they were accompanied by a band of sixty musicians, about 
fifteen of whom were pipers. We watched them and listened 
to the music until they marched away down the street toward 
the Meadows, which is the name of a park where they were go- 
ing to drill, and we were much interested, but my opinion of the 
Highland costume and bagpipes did not change. 



198 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

We passed into the castle, strolled through and about it again, 
looked from the battlements and embrasures at the scenes visi- 
ble from them, went into the apartments which the murdered 
Queen used to use, where she brought into the world James the 
First of England, the Sixth of Scotland ; stood again and gazed 
at her portrait some minutes, and went quietly out and down 
the hill, perhaps never to be there again. 

Back again into the New Town : We visited a number of the 
stores on Princes Street, and admired very much the display 
that is made of beautiful and costly goods. At twelve o'clock 
we were at the Caledonian Station, and went by train to New- 
haven, the headquarters of the fisher-people and situated on 
the bay, to have a look at the fish-wives who walk about in 
coarse shoes and short skirts, carrying large baskets of fish 
which hang on their backs supported by a wide band of leather 
or canvas, which goes across their foreheads. 

But Edinburgh is inexhaustible, and your patience may not 
be. There are galleries and colleges, beautiful edifices and 
many other things of interest, which we will not see at all. I 
said to my partner to-day, that " were I to consult entirely my 
inclination, we would make arrangements for our permanent 
living and remain here until the time should come for our go- 
ing home." But I am afraid we would not be satisfied here- 
after if we did not visit the Continental countries. Yet I, and 
I think my partner, would be happy in Edinburgh. 

We will look back at our time in Scotland with as much 
pleasure as any of the time spent in Great Britain. Every hour, 
even when in the hard rains and cold winds, of which we have 
had so much, we have been happy. 

The people, as all know, are strong people in all ways. 
They are industrious, thrifty, and cleanly. They are honest, 
but are not the pleasant people that the English are, because 
they are not as polite. If you ask a question, you will be an- 
swered fully and intelligently, if the one asked is capable and 
can give the answer, but it will be done without any suavity or 
condescension in manner. 

I doubt if there are a people in the world in whom the love 
of country, its history and traditions, are as strong as in the 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. I99 

Scotch. They live on the memory of their great dead, and the 
history and traditions of the past. 

I was in hope, as we progressed on into the country, and be- 
came acquainted, that we would see evidences that the High- 
land costume and bagpipes would go finally. But we don't see 
any such evidences. We do see though that, linked as they are 
to the past, that they will be here while Scotchmen stay. Oh, 
Scotland ! how you do stand in your own light. 

When we take the steamer Monday, the 27th, for Amsterdam, 
we will have been in Great Britain eighty-seven days, all of 
which have been enjoyable to their fullest extent. 

It would be impossible for me to express a wish for more 
pleasure to the dear relatives and friends who may read this 
letter, than that they may be allowed a duplicate of the pleasure 
that my partner and I have had in Great Britain, and it is my 
wish that such be the case. 

There are some things that the people of Great Britain are 
patient with, which would be very inconvenient to Americans, 
and would not be put up with. 

Some of these are the inconveniences accompanying travel 
by railway. The cars are abominable. Their plan of con- 
struction, and lack of convenience and comfort the people of 
our country would not stand. 

The rate that the Government fixes at which the road must 
carry pas'sengers is a penny per mile, two cents of our money. 
At this rate you can ride in the third-class carriages. The 
second-class carriages are scarcely patronized at all. By first- 
class a few people travel, but as the rate first-class is more than 
twice as much as third-class, I think more than three-fourths 
of the people go third-class. We have ridden a little by first 
and second-class, but nearly all by third-class, hence I can 
speak intelligently, when I say that for lack of comfort a 
British railway carriage is so absolutely perfect, and so far be- 
hind the present age of luxury and comfort, that I am surprised 
that the people submit to what seems to me such gross imposi- 
tion. 

The plan of the cars is totally wrong, and they are con- 
structed without any thought to the comfort of the passengers, 



200 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

save in the first-class compartments, and they are not much 
better. Then again, the cars being so much smaller than ours, 
they don't ride as smoothly. 

The system of collecting the tickets, too, to me is simply ri- 
diculous. When you arrive at the station to take the train, you 
step up to the booking office, as the ticket office is called, at a 
window marked first, second, or third-class, and buy your 
tickets, and take your seat in the car. Perhaps you will not 
think of your ticket again until you have left the train, when 
you must surrender it, on leaving the station at your destination, 
to a man who collects them. 

At other times men will pass along the train, open the doors 
and examine the tickets. This may be done frequently at 
country stations, and for this performance the train must wait. 

Then the ridiculous baggage system : If I undertake to write 
about it, I will lose my temper, and write something that it 
were better not. The baggage vans are in the train at different' 
places, hence when the train stops all the compartment doors 
and the doors of the vans are thrown open, people commence to 
pile out, and in the sides of the cars, and all about among them, 
pushing trucks up to the vans, are the porters to fill or to get 
the contents out of the vans. And there are the people waiting 
for their luggage to be thrown out so they can claim it. I 
think for pandemonium let loose, the platform of a large 
British railway station, at train time, will furnish the best ex- 
ample possible. The tracks and track beds are good, and the 
locomotives are quiet and well behaved, and there are many 
things about the stations, as I have written before, that I like, 
but the cars are outrageous, and the baggage and ticket sys- 
tems ridiculous. 

With the hotels we have no complaints to make ; generally 
we have been very comfortable. The beds are better than in 
American hotels. The system of the meals was a little in- 
convenient at first, but w^e have gotten used to it now, and rather 
like it. 

The table-de-hote dinner is the same all over the kingdom, 
and is usually very nice and palatable. Sometimes the 
American appetite is on a scale with its nativity, and at such 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 20I 

times it overlaps the apportionments for the different courses, 
and they then must be doubled, but that trouble is all owing to 
the American appetite, and not to the dinner. 

We have missed much many things that we are used to at 
this time of the year. Berries, melons, tomatoes, and fruits, 
and cucumbers. Berries are served very sparingly ; melons, of 
indifferent quality, a small sample ; cucumbers and tomatoes 
are served with other dishes to season them. Sometimes we 
buy tomatoes and other things, berries for instance, take them 
to a restaurant, and eat them with our meat and potatoes. 

Someiimes we go to a restaurant, as we did this evening, and 
have those things furnished us. Many common articles of food 
in our country are looked on as luxuries by all classes of people 
in this country. 

The 25th. — It is now ten-fifteen p. m., and my partner hav- 
ing gotten tired of her sewing, suggested that we go for a walk. 
We did so for a few squares along Princes Street, which is full 
of people enjoying their Saturday night outing. The lights in 
the castle look like stars blinking through clouds, and the 
spires and towers in the Old Town, as they stretch up toward 
the zenith, are as effective by night as by day. But though we 
had our wraps on, we were too cold to be comfortable, and soon 
came home. 

There is one thing that I ought to write about in this letter, 
and that is the temperance question. Intemperance is being 
fought valiantly in Great Britain, and I believe effectively. 
The Salvation Army is doing much, as also are temperance 
societies, and then there are the temperance hotels. Every 
place you go, even in the smallest hamlet, you will see the sign 
" Temperance Hotel," indicating a hotel where intoxicants 
are not furnished. There are many of these, even in Ireland, 
and very many in England and Scotland. Many of them 
are large, commodious, and first-class establishments. Of 
course, they must be sufiiciently patronized to make them pro- 
fitable, else they would not be. We have patronized several of 
them. Darling's, where we now are in Edinburgh, being one of 
them, and a large, popular hotel. 

This is cultivating temperance in the individual, leaving him 



202 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

his freedom, and at the same time removing temptation. It 
may be a slow way ; but, when people arrive at a point when 
they will abstain voluntarily, the work will be lasting. There 
are many of them now in the British Islands, else the very 
many temperance hotels would not exist. I doubt much if as 
many temperance hotels would flourish in our country. I don't 
remember ever having seen in America the sign Temperance 
Hotel. 

This one is the last of the letters of Great Britain ; whether 
or not I will continue them while on the Continent, I cannot 
say now. It will depend on the interest that life there may or 
may not excite. 

Our walking now on country roads and paths, not including 
that done in cities and towns, and not including that done in 
parks and private grounds, amounts to two hundred and four 
miles. 



LETTER XXIV. 

The Hague. S. Graven Hage or den Haag, 
Holland, Sunday, Sept. 2d, 1894. 

As per our intention, stated in No. 23, we left Edinburgh 
Monday, August 27th, per steamer Kinghorn for Amsterdam, 
where we arrived early in the morning Thursday, the length of 
the voyage, as we made it, being about four hundred miles. 

The sailing time of the Kinghorn was ten o'clock p. m., hence 
about seven o'clock we bade good-bye to the pleasant people, 
and comfortable surroundings of Darling's Hotel, and by cab 
went to Leith, the city of the harbor contiguous to Edinburgh. 

The steamer's business is chiefly that of freighting, though 
she has a very nice cabin and state-rooms for say thirty people^ 
When we arrived at the dock and went on board the boat, 
about seven-thirty, or earlier, we found the cabins locked, so 
that we could not enter them, and that the officers, steward, and 
stewardess were all absent yet at their homes in the city, Leith. 
The sailors told us to be seated on the deck and be comfortable, 



EUROPl-: FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 203 

and that the steward would come before long and open the 
cabin. So we seated ourselves on a settee, and occupied our 
time watching the operations of the people on the ships and 
docks about us, loading and unloading ships. 

About this time my partner discovered that she had left her 
sun-glasses at the hotel in Edinburgh. They have not much 
value, but as they are of considerable assistance to the eyes, 
especially while on the water, we decided to get them, hence 
the writer went by tram-car to Edinburgh after the pesky 
glasses, leaving the partner aforesaid alone on the ship among 
the sailors. This took forty-five minutes, and as night was well 
on before I returned, my partner felt quite alone and glad to 
see me, but we got the glasses. 

Soon the steward came and opened the cabins, lighted the 
lamps, and our surroundings changed from the chilly darkness 
of the deck to the cheerfulness of the cabin. 

Soon also the stewardess came, and then the captain, David 
Roberts, a short, middle-aged, ruddy-faced Scotchman, with 
gray beard and hair. He mildly advised us not to go by his 
boat ; but to leave it and go on the Mascotte of the same line 
to Antwerp. Said he, " The Mascotte is newer and nicer, and 
has passengers, and I think you will be more comfortable." 
But we decided to remain, thinking that the privilege of being 
the only passengers on an ocean steamer was a luxury not to 
be passed, and soon w^e were again seated on the settee on the 
deck, and watching the disappearing ships and things of the 
harbor, as we quietly and slowly made our way out into the 
Firth of Forth. 

Our first point of destination, after leaving Leith, was Grange- 
mouth farther up the Forth, an important freight and shipping- 
place, where the steamer took on freight. We arrived there in 
about an hour and a half after leaving Leith, and remained there 
until two o'clock the next afternoon. This afforded my partner 
and I an opportunity to tramp about, and see another Scotch 
town. 

Finally the cargo was all stowed, and we were floating down 
the bay, with the bow of the steamer pointing toward the Dutch 
kingdom and its capital. 



204 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

Soon we w^re passing under the Forth Bridge, and thus hav- 
ing another look at that monster, and then on our right was 
Leith and Edinburgh towering above all surroundings, and grim 
and secretive were the turrets of the castle. 

On our left in the distance, miles away over the landscape, 
we. could see well the Wallace Monument, and near by the 
smoke from Stirling, while on a hill we could see a cloudy 
colored mass, which we knew to be Stirling Castle. All these 
were plainly visible to the eye, but much clearer and nearer they 
appeared under the effect of the excellent marine glass which 
the captain loaned us. 

Everything appeared to be going our way that day. The sun- 
shine was bright and warm, there was not much wind, not 
enough to be unpleasant, we had a steam-ship to ourselves, and 
a most sociable and polite captain, who was untiring in his 
efforts to point out the things of historical interest. Among 
these were the Fame Islands, where a steamer was wrecked, 
September 5th, 1838, from which Grace Darling, the lights 
keeper's daughter, saved nine people. The boat that she used, 
you will remember, was in the Transportation Building of the 
Exposition. The heroism of Grace, however, saved but a small 
portion of the ill-fated passengers and crew, for thirty-eight 
found watery graves. 

A little farther on the course of the ship brings us quite near 
the land, and we become very much interested in an enormous 
ruin of a castle. The towers yet stand six and eight stories 
high, and we see that the building, if in complete state, would 
be enormous even at the present time. It is the castle of the 
Earl of Douglas, noted for being the scene of many sieges, and 
made famous by Scott. 

It has been a third of a century, I think, since I read Mar- 
mion, but as every school-boy knows the lines, to quote them 
incorrectly will hardly be excusable, but you will not count 
the errors : 

" Not far advanced was morning day, 
When Marmion did his troop array 
To Stirray's" camp to ride ; 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 205 

The train from out the castle drew ; 
But Marmion stopped to bid adieu : — 
" Though something I might plain," he said 
" Of cold respect to stranger guest, 
Sent hither by your king's behest, 
While in Tantallon's towers I stayed ; 
Part we in friendship from your land, 
And, noble Earl, receive my hand." — 
But Douglas round him drew his cloak, 
Folded his arms, and thus he spoke : — 
"My manors, halls, and bovvers, shall still 
Be open at my sovereign's will. 
To each one whom he lists, howe'er 
Unmeet to be the owner's peer. 



The hand of Douglas is his own : 
And never shall in friendly grasp 
The hand of such as Marmion clasp." 

And so the story goes and tells us of Tantallon Castle, which 
we gaze at until the eye grows tired, when we turn and take a 
final glimpse through the glass at Edinburgh and her castle, 
now almost invisible in the distance. We sweep the Scottish 
hills and landscape with a glance, and night has come, and all 
we see are the stars and the limitless ocean, 

Wednesday brought us sunshine and balmy air, and a calm 
sea, with nothing in view but occasional passing sails and the 
.ocean. Our voyage was perfect and in all things enjoyable. 
At table there was but our two selves, the captain and the first 
officer. The table, accommodations, and attendance were 
all excellent. The fact is, it is nice to travel in your own 
ship. 

There was no sea-sickness, everything was entirely enjoyable 
and restful, not in the least so was lying on the settees on the 
deck, with pillow and robes, shaded from the sun while we dozed 
and dreamed of a big country across the big ocean, where there 
are many who are dear to us. 

My partner spent much of the time on the bridge, the guest 
of the captain and first officer, as they might be in charge of 
the ship, and I think she knows now all about the nautical 
machines and their operations. 



206 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

Thursday morning found us at the dock at Amsterdam, the 
capital of the little Dutch Kingdom. We were up»early, and 
quickly, without any annoyance, had passed the customs, and 
by cab were soon landed at the Bible Hotel. Breakfast over 
we went for a walk about the city to the markets, and about the 
shops. Then by tram-car we went to Ryks Museum, and for 
an hour or two walked among and looked at the things, which 
you will know go to fill a museum in Dutchland. In this mu- 
seum vast halls and much space is devoted to paintings of the 
artists of the country, old and modern. There are Rembrandts 
and Rubens without number, including Rembrandt's greatest, 
the Night Watch. 

The Royal Palace in the center of the city kept us for a time. 
It is chiefly noted for elegant marble carvings. They certainly 
are magnificent and very profuse. In the Crown-room a familiar 
article immediately caught our attention, a Crown Jewel Stove, 
such as are so popular in our country, where they are made, I 
think, in Detroit. It looked entirely at home, and as though it 
could well fill, its allotted duty. The Royal family occupy the 
palace in Amsterdam six days in the year. 

The capital not being Dutch enough for us, we went the next 
day by steamboat to Zann Dam, distance forty-five minutes by 
fleet steamer, to see a town thoroughly Dutch. We found it in 
every sense. 

Zann Dam is noted for being particularly Dutch, and for 
being the place where Peter the Great of Russia went and lived 
unknown, while he worked at and learned ship-building. The 
cabin or hut in which he lived is the object of visitors, and of 
course we saw it. It is now the property of the Emperor of 
Russia, having been presented to him by the Queen of Holland 
within a few years. 

There is an old portrait of Peter the Great, and some tools 
and things having interest on account of their having been his ; 
and some tablets left in commemoration of the visit of succeed- 
ing Czars. 

Then we went on and walked about the town, but it was not 
very agreeable. It was not clean, quite the reverse, and then it 
called to mind towns in our country, and districts in cities where 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 20/ 

the foreign element predominates, and with which our associa- 
tions are not entirely happy. 

We saw considerable of xA.msterdam and its surroundings, and 
while it is interesting, because entirely new to us, and distinct- 
ive, it is not pleasing and enjoyable in effect. It is so thoroughly 
foreign — So Dutch, so Dutch ! 

The Bible Hotel has a history, and it is one straw of which 
there are very many constantly about us, which show the relig- 
ious persecution through which the country has gone. Jacob 
Van Liesweld was a printer, and printed where the hotel now 
stands, the first Bible printed in the Dutch language. He was 
compelled to flee the country, and escaped from the building 
through a window and got to Antwerp. There he was captured 
and executed. The property became that of a Scotch family 
named Cattermole, who made a hotel of it, and to which they 
gave the present name. 

From Amsterdam to this city by rail requires an hour and a 
half. There is nothing beautiful to me about the landscape of 
Holland, though it is entirely distinctive. As you all know the 
level of the land is below the level of the sea, and it is almost 
entirely flat. The sea is kept from overflowing by embankments, 
or dykes, as they are called. Occasionally you will see a little 
elevation of land, but it is very rare. 

Constantly you are passing and are in the presence of canals, 
and water-ways, which are filled to within a few inches of the 
surface of the land with stagnant green water, and through farms, 
fields, gardens, and lawns run wide ditches with water of the 
same kind. 

There are but few trees and no forests, and but few things 
which are necessary to beautiful landscape. I conclude though, 
that the land is very productive, as it looks to be covered with 
crops and cattle. The production of milk, cattle, and butter is 
a great industry, I judge, from the large herds of cows that are 
seen in the fields. They are of the kind called Dutch Belt, 
which were shown in our Exposition, with the forequarters and 
hindquarters black, while the body is white. 

It is well said that Holland is the land of windmills. They 
are innumerable, and must be used for innumerable purposes. 



208 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

You see them in countless numbers, in every direction that you 
may turn your eye in the rural districts. There are small ones 
and enormous ones. 

Friday, the day we came from Amsterdam to this city, was the 
birthday of the young Queen, Wilhelmina, her fourteenth. 
Her mother is Queen Regent. It was a holiday, a day for frolic 
and pleasuring, and there had been much preparation made for 
pleasure, but owing to the severe disaster to the Dutch Arms 
in the Dutch Indies the day preceding, the government part 
of the festivities was not carried out. 

I conclude though, that from what we saw here in the even- 
ing, that it takes something more than the destruction of a regi- 
ment or two of soldiers to spoil the heart-bent fun of the Dutch. 

Immediately after our arrival here Friday, we discovered that 
I had left my overcoat in the car, which went on to Antwerp, 
or to Paris. We hurried to the station to have a telegram sent 
after the train telling about the coat, and if found, to have it 
taken to Antwerp and left for us. When we had returned and 
dined it was night, and we went out to walk in the streets. 

We found the streets full of frolicking people. They were 
singing and laughing, regardless of age, like children. They 
would join hands by dozens, and rush through the arcades and 
streets, clearing a wide swath of all who might be in their course. 
Policemen would remonstrate, only to be encircled with a rol- 
licking lot of men and women, and be hustled about until they 
would lose their arms and helmet. 

We got into a throng, and went with it into what seemed to 
be a park. There was an avenue lined with several rows of 
large trees and on them were hung thousands of fairy lamps, 
such as they used on our Wooded Island. Finally we came to 
a large open field, where there was a bandstand and prepara- 
tions for fireworks. Many of the throng stopped here, but my 
partner and I kept on along the beautifully illuminated avenue, 
aimlessly, for a long distance, until the throng of people had 
reduced, until there were only well-dressed people walking 
usually in couples. The ladies in trim-fitting and pretty dresses, 
and wearing their nicest hats, while the gentlemen wore white 
ties, and colored gloves, and carried canes. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECExMBER. 209 

At last we saw through the trees, on a little elevation, a large 
building, a sort of pavilion, brilliantly illuminated and hung 
with fairy lamps, in an inclosure having a bandstand and many 
refreshment tables and chairs. 

As the gentlemen and ladies passed into the inclosure, some 
gentlemen in evening dress would meet them, and sometimes 
examine cards, and then handing them a paper would step aside, 
and the people would go on in and take seats. We had stopped 
some distance off and concluded that the place was private, 
only those having invitations being admitted. Then we decided 
to try it, walked up to the gate and passed in. One of the 
gentlemen in evening dress met us and said very politely in 
English, " The entertainment is conducted by a club, only mem- 
bers are admitted." We were about to withdraw, when he said, 
"Wait a moment, have you your cards?" We handed him a 
card and he disappeared for a minute or two, when he returned, 
and bowing very politely, handed us a program and told us to 
go on in and be seated. 

The entertainment is what we would call a promenade con- 
cert, given by a literary club, and that you may know more 
particularly I enclose the program. The music was very 
beautiful, several of the numbers being familiar to us. 

There were two or more thousand people who sat around the 
tables generally drinking coffee. Wine or beer being the marked 
exception. It was an extremely well-mannered and nice-appear- 
ing crowd of people. 

We heard some of the music, walked about and saw the people, 
had some coffee, and walked back under the trees and fairy 
lamps to where the rollicking crowd and fireworks were, and 
stopped again. 

Some things here were like home. The rockets went up with 
a whiz, curved over and exploded, throwing out stars, and the 
crowd would say, '' Oh ! " all like home. The band played, 
children fretted and had to be held up, and the whelps were in 
the trees, just like home. 

The fireworks were not as brilliant or as effective as they 
usually are in Chicago. The set pieces were not as brilliant, 
and the stars from the rockets too died out much sooner than 



2IO EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

they do on the other side of the ocean, and there were not any 
of the mines or beautiful showers of fire which are such a feature 
with us in our fireworks. 

From here we returned to the city with the crowd. Soon we 
came to some open spaces or squares, surrounded with trees. 
They were covered with machines on which the strength of men 
could be tested by lifting, or striking, and various other ways, 
and with stalls for the sale of gewgaws, and worthless articles 
and trash. 

All these things seemed to be well patronized by the noisy 
rollicking people. We passed on through this motley mass into 
a wide avenue, having rows of trees. Along in it was a row of 
little movable houses or shops. Before each of these sat a 
woman, who, as fast as she possibly could, kept pouring batter 
into little indentures in a large iron plate, which was placed over 
a fire before her, while two or three other people turned the little 
cakes, lifted them off, and placed them on dishes in like allot- 
ments. Then deft working girls sifted soft sugar over them, 
and placing a piece of butter and a fork on each allotment, 
would hand it to a ready taker, who would eat it quickly, pay his, 
or her few pennies, and go singing and rollicking on. This busi- 
ness extended for a long distance on the street, and those 
engaged in it worked until the perspiration rolled down their 
faces. We did as the other people did and ate of the cakes. 
My partner asked what they were called, and was told, but I 
will not attempt the name here. 

While my partner was eating her morsel, an officer in Her 
Majesty's service came up and reached out as if to take her 
plate, then seeing that she was a dignified foreigner, bowed and 
passed on. Had she looked Dutch she would undoubtedly 
have lost her ration. 

When the hour had passed way beyond our retiring time, we 
left the throngs, and were soon in our room and in bed, 
from where, a long time after, we could hear the fun still going 
on. 

Yesterday, Saturday, we visited another gallery, and saw 
famous paintings. I got tired, and leaving my partner to feast 
on them to her satisfaction, went to the hotel and slept. In 



EUROPK JROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 211 

the afternoon we went to see one of the Royal Palaces called 
the "Palace in the Wood," because it is in the woods. 

Many of the rooms are ornamented with Chinese work, 
tapestries, and furniture, and are very magnificent and costly. 
One vast, dome topped room, circular in shape, was built in the 
first half of the seventeenth century by one of the princesses in 
commemoration of her husband. The ornamentation, done in oil 
with the brush, is by pupils of Rubens. A number of them 
worked on it four years, and it is very magnificent. 

In the afternoon, after leaving the palace, we went by tram- 
car through an avenue of tine trees, lined with a park on one 
side, and fine villas on the other, to Scheveningen, a watering- 
place on the seashore. Having looked the place over, which 
is quite like seashore resorts the world over, and having dined, 
we returned to the city by electric car, and retired very early. 

This city of about one hundred and forty thousand people is 
called by many very beautiful. On some accounts it is beauti- 
ful. There are trees, flowers, grass, and some fine buildings, 
and it is fairly clean ; but the open canals and wide ditches, full 
almost to the level of the streets, with green, stagnant-smelling 
water, overcomes much of the beauty in my estimation. This 
feature is all over Holland I believe, and while it detracts much 
from the beauty, and perhaps does not add to the health of the 
country, it does show most forcibly the pluck and industry of a 
people who can make a kingdom of land out of a sea of water. 
Then the centuries of struggle for independence, and the ravages 
of the Spanish Inquisition tell more stories of the terrible trials 
of the little kingdom, and the pluck and patience of its people. 

One of the things which we saw yesterday, and which I have 
not mentioned, is a prison that was used during the Inquisition, 
and which is kept now for exhibition, and for the exhibition oi 
the machines for torture and execution which were used. It is a 
dreadful place filled with hellish things, after a visit to which 
you feel the effect of it creeping over you like the damp of a 
dungeon for hours after. 

From this prison John Van Oldenbarneveld, whose name is 
now heroic and immortalized in the history of the Netherlands, 
was imprisoned, led forth and executed, when seventy-two years 



212 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

old. Others, whose names are now famous, were imprisoned 
here, the block on which they died being shown the visitor to 
the grim place. 

While we will leave the little kingdom to-morrow, with kindly 
and sympathetic feelings, it will not be with feelings of pleasure, 
or remembrances of pleasure, to any extent. The things that 
are pleas-ing to me the country does not have. The people 
though, the many in the garb of citizens, and the many in uni- 
form, have been civil to us. 

We go to. Antwerp to-morrow. 



LETTER XXV. 

Cologne, Germany, September dth, 1894. 

According to our intention, stated in the last, we left the 
Hague Monday early in the afternoon, and arrived in Antwerp 
about five o'clock. As the ride was quite uneventful, there need 
not be much space devoted to it. 

The scenery partook of the peculiarity of Holland scenery 
about all the distance, of say a hundred miles, and the peculiar- 
ity of Holland scenery is the absence of scenery. I don't 
think that scenery goes with things that man makes, and man 
has made Holland entirely. Nature left a sea where Hol- 
land is, which the people have drained and pumped away. 

The flat fields without hills, and without trees, and without 
crooked, swift-running streams, don't make scenery. The open 
canals, which run apparently in all directions but short distances 
apart, filled almost to the level of the land with green, stagnant 
water, throwing off, as they do, odors which make us respect 
the exhalations of our own Chicago River as the balm of Gilead, 
don't add any beauty. 

I can live without Holland scenery, and I suppose Holland 
will thrive just the same. 

We passed through Rotterdam, and as the railway passes 
through the city on considerable of an elevation abov6 the 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 213 

streets, and takes a circling course, we saw the city very well, 
and saw that it is much like the Holland cities which I have 
described. It is flat and divided into many divisions with 
canals, and like the others is Dutch, Dutch ! There is no 
doubt in my mind at all about the Dutch coming from Holland. 

At Esschen, a little town on the Belgium side of the frontier, 
we had to pass customs, and it was a very unpleasant operation 
owing to the very poor facilities for the accommodation of the 
people. The business was simple enough, but very unpleasant 
to be huddled into a space not one-quarter as large as it should 
be for the number of people, and to be kept standing, suffering 
for fresh air, what seemed like an indefinite time. It made me 
dislike King Leopold. 

The monotony of the uninteresting country remained unbroken 
until the last hour of the ride, when the canals became fewer, 
and we had hills and undulating fields. 

Antwerp, the first city in population and commercial impor- 
tance in Belgium, has, including some suburbs, which are under 
separate municipalities, about two hundred and fifty thousand 
people. 

Its maritime interests are very great, the port business being 
among the most important in Europe. It is strongly fortified, 
being intended to be a safe place for rendezvous of the armies 
of the kingdom, in case of invasion by an enemy before which 
they might be compelled to retreat. We did not see much of 
the city outside of the interior portion, but I conclude that there 
is not much to be said for it on the score of beauty. Historic- 
ally though, Antwerp is inexhaustible, hence there are very 
many things having historical interest. 

The Cathedral of Notre Dame is said to be one of the largest 
and most beautiful Gothic churches in the Netherlands. Its 
construction was commenced in 1352, and carried on at inter- 
vals for four hundred years. 

Much of the work done on it at different times being the res- 
torations of the damage done by the Puritans and others. If 
the columns and walls could talk, they might tell tales, which 
would be complimentary and uncomplimentary to Christianity 
in the different throes through which it has passed. 



214 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

Aside from the interest that sightseers may have in the Ca- 
thedral itself, it contains three of the masterpieces of Rubens, 
including his greatest, The Descent from the Cross. The 
other two are the Elevation of the Cross, and the Assumption. 
They are all very famous paintings. I don't think it adds any- 
thing to the pleasure of seeing Rubens' pictures to be told that 
one figure is of his first wife, another one of his second wife. 
This one of himself, and that of his wife's sister, and the other 
of his own dog, but then this is what you pay for, and you must 
take what you buy. You are compelled to put up with a good 
many things in monarchies that are hard to bear. Now in the 
breezy West, we simply would not put up with such business. 

The museum, Plantin Moretus, is in the former home of 
Christopher Plantin, who carried on the business of printing in 
the same building, commencing with 1555. The business re- 
mained in the possession of his family for two hundred and 
fifty years. During much of this time it had the monopoly of 
printing prayer-books for the dominion under the crown of 
Spain, and the business grew to be vast, and the successive 
owners wealth}^ In 1875 the building and contents, including 
the accumulations of the business, the paintings, and house- 
hold effects were bought by the city of Antwerp, and are now 
a most interesting museum. 

There are a vast number of portraits and paintings, including 
fourteen by Rubens, and two by A^an Dyke, and many very 
ancient manuscripts valuable and curious. The different 
stages of improvement that the business went through for three 
hundred years are well represented by the machines and ap- 
pliances, and is very interesting. Then, too, the home is an 
excellent representation of a fine old Flemish home. 

In one side of the courtyard grows a grapevine. The stem, 
or stems, for there are two, or more, are six to eight inches in 
diameter. The vine is trained on and covers a side of the 
building. The age of the old vine dates from 1557, so it is not 
a young one at all. 

I had a little experience in Antwerp, which we did not have 
on our program. Not of much importance however, but as it 
shows some things of the country, I will relate it. Owing to 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 21 5 

my carelessness in leaving my overcoat in the car, when we ar- 
rived in the Hague, I was compelled to buy one, which I did in 
Antwerp by going to a first-class establishment, selecting the 
cloth and having it made to measure. I selected good cloth, 
rough finish. The coat is excellently made and lined, and has 
extra cost, because it is made in the ulster style, very long wiih 
long cape. It cost me eleven dollars. The same kind of 
establishment in Chicago would have charged thirty-five dollars. 

The Antwerp Exposition, which we visited, and were much 
interested in, is under the patronage of the King, Leopold 
Second. The Exposition covers one hundred and fifty acres, 
and there are eighty different buildings, the vast majority of 
which are small, cheap affairs, for all purposes. 

The exhibits are in a series of buildings which are con- 
nected ; and as you pass through them, from one department to 
another, the effect is that of one vast building. Immediately on 
passing through the gates you find yourself in the part of the 
grounds devoted to the villages of Nations, the Plaisance as it 
were. There we saw many familiar sights. 

My partner recognized some acquaintances, among them one 
who swallowed swords and ate glass for her amusement on the 
Midway. Then there was the street in Cairo, and the tired 
hungry camels, and the tom-toms. The people from the South 
Sea Islands, whose bushy heads, and smooth, glossy, brown 
skins became known to all, were there, and the Soudanese baby, 
now grown a few inches, who declined a penny from my partner 
a year ago. 

In fact it was a cheerful place for us, for we met so many 
friends, which is so pleasant to strangers in foreign lands. We 
walked on, passing frequently familiar things, and people, whom 
we knew had done time in the greatest of all Expositions, when 
finally before us, done in plain letters, big and prominent, we 
read this sign : — 

" PAWNEE BILL'S WILD WEST. 

Scenes De La Vie Des Prairies 

la plus grande attraction de la exposition. 

ENTREE GENERALE." 



2l6 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

and here again was an old friend, and this time a country- 
man. 

The thing which interested us most among the scenes of 
Nations was Old Antwerp. It was on a large scale after the 
order of Old Vienna, but larger. We were there in time to see 
the parade, representing the entry into Antwerp of Charles the 
Fifth, which occurred in the fifteenth century. It was very in- 
teresting, and my partner succeeded in getting two of the coins, 
which the King's Chamberlain threw into the crowd. She was 
happy. 

Among the exhibits we also saw many familiar ones, among 
them the large chocolate monument and statue, which stood in 
our Agricultural building, and which attracted so much atten- 
tion, and also the exhibit of a room in Hadden Hall, which 
was in the English Section, Liberal Arts building. 

The American department occupies space which I estimated 
to be eighty feet square, the compound of the exhibits being 
very insignificant. The number is not only small, but there 
are but few from representative establishments. The best one 
in the department, I think, is by Lyon & Healy. I took the 
names of several others, but they need not be mentioned here. 

The whirr of the machinery in Machinery Hall brought 
vividly be fore us the delightful hours of a year ago, as did our 
walk among the beautiful fabrics and tapestries of France, and 
among the exquisitely laden tables of Austria and Italy. The 
countries all seemed to be there with their exhibits in apparently 
sufficient abundance, that of England being, I thought, superior 
to the exhibit which English manufactures made in Chicago. 
With that exception, if in fact it is an exception, the exhibits 
are not nearly as profuse, not nearly in as great variety and 
quality of goods and wares as they were in our exposition. 

In the preparation for the exhibits the different governments 
made no effort to build beautiful pavilions, as they did in 
Chicago. There are none such at all. Such goods as must be 
under cover are in glass enclosed cases, plainly made, while 
others are distributed on tables and platforms. The Exposition 
as a place for exhibits, and for the quality of exhibits, I should 
think must be entirely up to the desire and calculation of the 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 21/ 

projectors, but it lacks all of the magnificent features which 
made the Chicago Exposition so distinctive and enjoyable. 

The beautiful ^'ounds, the lagoons, the architecture, the 
magnificent effect of the groups of fine buildings, the music, and 
the entrancing effect, are all lacking. It is a place to visit, and 
of which you will soon tire, not one for which the love to visit 
and be in will grow, I doubt if we ever see another Exposition 
which will possess the lovely features and leave the lasting, 
delightful memories of the Columbian. 

How poorly the world appreciates what it was ! In Europe 
the impression prevails that it was an utter failure. A failure 
financially, a failure in the class and quality of the exhibits, and 
a failure in the attendance. We had many talks and tried to 
enlighten many people on this subject in Great Britain, but the 
impression prevails. 

For this we can thank the seething caldron of putridity 
which boils and ferments on Manhattan Island. 

There are other things of interest about our stay in Antwerp 
of which I might write ; our tramp along the quay, and visit to 
the Jesuit Church, and others ; but we must pass on before 
you are all asleep. 

The ride from Antwerp to Cologne takes six hours by fast train. 
We left there at one o'clock and were here at seven. Soon 
after leaving we find ourselves passing through a fine agricultural 
country which is rolling and interesting to look at. It is 
covered with what we think are good crops, and in many of the 
fields are groups of men, women, and children working. In 
some cases they are gathering potatoes, and there will be thirty 
or forty people in one lot. 

The country, as we fly on, becomes more and more hilly, 
until by four o'clock we are among hills that are almost mount- 
ains, and in very picturesque scenery, and frequently we go 
through tunnels. 

The route takes us through Malines, which used to be called 
Mechlin, and is where the lace of that name is made. Also 
the old and historical cities Liege and Aachen, old Aix-la Chap- 
pelle. At a little town called Herbesthal the doors of the 
carriages were all thrown open by trim, soldierly-looking men, 



21 8 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

who told us to get out and bring our baggage. This the porters 
took into a large roomy hall, where it was quickly opened and 
examined, and again placed in the carriages. The language 
in which the signs on the station and buildings about us were 
printed was German, not French. We were in the " Faderland." 

Generally, as we look back on our little experience in Bel- 
gium, the memory is pleasant, and had we stopped in Brussels it 
is likely we would have felt like recommending you to take 
Belgium in in your European tour. As it is, however, we will 
let you decide without our suggestions. We, perhaps, would 
have gone to Brussels had it not been that some cholera has 
been reported about there, hence we concluded not to do so. 

I think my partner feels somewhat indignant toward Bel- 
gium. She went to the post-office in Antwerp to get some 
stamps, and gave in payment and to be changed a twenty- 
franc bill. She received in the change a five-franc piece issued 
by some country in the moon, or some other place, which was 
current for only three and a half francs. We took it back to 
the post-office, but they would not redeem it ; consequently, my 
partner eased her mind in French to the official. She don't 
like Belgium. 

Our ride from Antwerp to this city was very pleasant and in- 
teresting, and the six hours passed quickly. To-morrow we go 
up the Rhine to Mayence. There I will finish this letter, and 
will tell you of this beautiful and interesting city. It is now 
ten-thirty, and we are to be called at six-thirty. 

Heidelberg, September 8th, 1894: — We were not very satis- 
factorily housed at Mayence, so instead of staying there for 
Sunday we hustled through and came here. I am to tell you 
of Cologne. Well Cologne, spelled in German " Koln " is the 
largest city in the Rhenish province of Prussia. It has three 
hundred thousand inhabitants, five-sixths of whom are Roman 
CathoHcs. This population includes the garrison of eight thou- 
sand men. It is situated on the left bank of the Rhine, as you 
descend the stream, and at the lower terminal of the Rhine 
excursions. 

The experience on arriving at Cologne is the same that it is 
with so many cities and towns of Europe, and the same ex- 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 219 

perience which we have had so much of, and will undoubtedly 
have much of yet. The first thing that you see on arriving and 
the last on departing is the cathedral. It towers so high above 
everything about it, that constantly as you turn corners, or walk 
and ride about, you see looming up, apparently right near you, 
the great towers of the cathedral. 

I think for fully two hours after our swift running steamer 
left Cologne yesterday, we could get frequent glimpses of those 
enormous spires, which seemed always quite near. 

My little study of cathedrals and what is written of them, 
leads me to conclude that the four that are greatest in size 
and grand magnificence are first. Saint Peters, Rome; second 
Milan ; third Seville ; fourth Cologne. 

You are not compelled to adopt my opinion. It may be very 
erroneous. But back again to the Cologne Cathedral. It is 
situated on an elevation of sixty-feet above the water of the 
Rhine, which is composed partly of Roman remains. It is 
directly across the street from the Central Railroad station. 
The corner-stone was laid August 14th, 1248, and the comple- 
tion was celebrated in the presence of the old Emperor William 
First, and many other notables, October 15th, 1880. During 
these six hundred years, the edifice was the subject of many 
contests, and was devoted at different times to purposes very 
different from that intended by its projectors. Fire and cannon 
took part in its destruction on several occasions, while for 
many years at different times it stood uncovered, subject to the 
destruction of the elements. 

It is one hundred and forty-eight yards long, and sixty-seven 
yards wide. The length of the transept is ninety-seven yards, 
and the height of the roof is two hundred and one feet ; of the 
middle tower, three hundred and fifty-seven feet, and of 
the two grand towers, five hundred and twelve feet. They are 
the highest church towers in Europe. The sum expended from 
1842 to 1880 was more than four and half a million dollars. The 
architecture is Gothic, and it is the most magnificent Gothic edi- 
fice in the world. The enormousness and magnificence of this 
building cannot be conveyed, and they cannot be comprehended, 
when it is seen. It tires the eyes to gaze at it from near by, 



220 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

and to do so from a distance is unsatisfactory, as you feel that 
you want to be nearer. 

You turn your back on the Cologne Cathedral, with feelings 
akin to those you experience when you close and place on the 
shelf the history of the world, which you do with a sigh, know- 
ing that it is so much beyond your possibilities, and with long- 
ings unappeased. 

The Church of Saint Ursula, or the " Church of the Virgins," 
stands over the burial-place of Saint Ursula, in the place where 
the murder of the eleven thousand virgins took place. This 
name of the church, and the idea of the murder of eleven thou- 
sand virgins seemed so strange to us, that we gave them con- 
siderable thought and attention, and having become convinced 
by the things we saw that there is not any room to doubt any- 
thing about them, and knowing that human nature is prone to 
extraordinary things, I think possibly you will be interested, if 
I tell you about the church and Saint Ursula, although you may 
all be familiar with the story now. In the year 449 a consider- 
able number of Britains, for religious security in their Christian 
faith, fled from persecution, and settled in Cologne. Among 
the number was a virgin of royal family, Ursula. She became 
famous among the people for her goodness, and became a great 
example and leader of women. In 451 a vast army of Huns, 
having been defeated in battle in Gaul, with a loss of one 
hundred and sixty thousand killed, retreated across the Rhine, 
stopping eji route and taking possession of Cologne. 

The men and boys were massacred, then Ursula and her 
British companions, and the women and maidens of Cologne 
were led out for distribution into slavery among the barbarians. 
The entreaties of Ursula to her followers availed to give them 
strength to resist the Huns, who finally becoming enraged, 
massacred eleven thousand women and maidens, among them 
Ursula, who died pierced with an arrow. This is the story of 
the massacre of the martyrs, now frequently spoken of as the 
massacre of the virgins. The Church of Saint Ursula, which 
marks the spot of the massacre, was commenced in 1020. The 
marytrs were buried on the field, Vv'here they were slain after 
the retirement of the Huns across the Rhine. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 221 

In the church, built in the walls clear up to the top of the 
walls, on the sides and ends, with glass before them, and 
exposed to view, are the bones of these martyrs, immense 
quantities of them. They are built carefully in receptacles, 
which were made for them, in all parts of the building. I think 
I speak within bounds when I say that there are there enough 
of the bones of those martyrs to fill two box cars. And then, 
we are told, in fact the books says, there are many of them 
in different churches in different countries in Europe. 

Now what is most astonishing about all this is, those bones 
were in the ground three hundred years, or about that, before they 
began to take them up, and in fact the work was not vigorously 
pushed until the middle of the twelfth century, seven hundred 
years after the massacre, yet there the bones are all right. We 
saw them. 

Now my partner and I are not much on anatomy, hence we 
would not intimate that that big church full of bones were any 
of them anything but human bones, and then the old man said 
they were all of them the bones of the martyrs. In the Golden 
Chamber are the skulls, seventeen hundred the book savs, two 
thousand the old man said. Now, they are human skulls. I 
don't believe they could fool us on those. Now, you must not 
doubt any of this story, for here are only a few of the positive 
proofs which we saw : 

The head of Saint Ursula, adorned with jewels. 

The head of Saint Christina, stained all over with blood. 

The head of Saint Pantalus, dinted by a stroke of the sword. 

The head of Saint Artimia, a very youthful virgin, on which are still 

indentures by club blows. 
The head of Saint Benedicta, split with sword blows. 
The bones of the right arm of Saint Ursula. 
The jawbone of Saint ^therius. 
The foot of Saint Ursula. 
The hair-net of Ursula. 

The point of the arrow, which killed Saint Ursula. 
Some pieces of the garments in which the body of Ursula was wrapped. 

Now, these are only a few of the things, which prove the story 
of Ursula and the massacre of the virgins. Beside this, when 
we come home, you may read the book. 



222 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

Of course Cologne has its gallery. It is large and fiUed with 
many fine paintings. There are Rubens and Van Dykes ar.d 
Rembrandts, and hundreds of others. The celebrated painting 
by Richter of the Emperor's great grandmother. If the paint- 
ing is like her, she was a beautiful woman. 

We went for a ride on a horse-car through a wide street which 
circles around the city near the outskirts. It is a wide street, 
lined with fine houses built in blocks. They are usually four 
and five stories high, and are very costly and elegant in appear- 
ance. We saw a number in the process of erection. It was a 
delightful ride between rows of trees and fine houses, among 
well dressed, genteel-appearing people. 

The street-car line terminated in a tree-shaded suburb among 
beer-gardens. It was three o'clock, and as we had not lunched, 
we went into one of the gardens and lunched on Schweizer 
kase, Rye brod and Rhein wein. They were no better and no 
cheaper than you can get in Chicago. We returned to the city 
by another route along the bank of the Rhine. 

We saw some of the markets and the German people 
in attendance. There were profusions of excellent vege- 
tables. Thrift and comfort appeared to prevail every place we 
went. 

Cologne is a beautiful city, and there are many interesting 
things. We saw but few of them. 

The next will tell you about the Rhine. 



LETTER XXVI. 

Heidelberg, September ^th., 1894. 
The idea of me attempting to write about the Rhine, which 
has been and is, the inexhaustible subject that poets, writers of 
prose, and the wielders of the brush have worked on for cent- 
uries, seems ridiculous. I liken the present to a fat pig seated 
in an arm-chair by a table, with spectacles over his nose, his 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 223 

two fore-feet resting on the table, with a pen sticking in the split 
of one of them, and apparently with great thoughtfulness, trying 
to produce something new for the Encyclopedia Britannica. 

Please don't think of the correctness of the simile. We will 
talk about the Rhine as we saw it. 

We made the Rhine trip from Cologne up, not from Mayence 
down, as we think the greater number do. I don't know that 
either way is preferable to the other, but conclude that they are 
governed simply by the commencement of the Continental tour. 
Usually, I think, the Continental tour begins with Paris, which 
in the course of the customary itinerary brings the tourist to the 
Rhine at Mayence. We came to the Continent by way of the 
German Ocean, hence touched the Rhine first in the lower por- 
tion. Promptly, on her advertised time, the steamer, Wilhelm 
Kaiser and Koenig, left her landing in Cologne at eight-forty- 
five for Mayence. It was the same boat that my partner and 

our friends, Mr. and Mrs. H , made the trip down the Rhine 

three years ago. The dismal weather that has followed us 
in Europe was on hand with full ferocity. There was a very 
cold strongwind blowing, and frequently pelting showers of rain 
came on, but we were well wrapped and the storm did not in- 
fluence us, except to make us shiver occasionally. The boat, 
while entirely sufficient in all qualities for the purpose, is not 
nearly as large and elegant as I supposed we would see on the 
Rhine. I was surprised at the plainness of the steamers of the 
Rhine. They are not the palaces which we have been taught 
float on its waters. 

By the way, this calls to mind a popular lecture on the 
Rhine, which, when I heard it, seemed as thin as mist, and now, 
since we have traversed the subject, don't seem to have even 
the body of mist. 

This description will give the effect of the lecture, though 
the talk will not of course be verbatim. The legend is impro- 
vised. Right here let me say that the legends of the Rhine 
are all right when taken in connection with the material things, 
of which they form interesting adjuncts, but when they are deliv- 
ered, and accompanied by the moonlight pictures from a stereop- 
ticon, which are supposed to represent the mountains and cas- 



224 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

ties to which the legends belong, the effect has no substance in 
it, except the half-dollar admission fee. 

Please imagine yourselves in Central Music Hall, the lights 
being turned down until the place is quite dark. Across the 
stage where the scenery customarily is, is stretched a white can- 
vas, and on the canvas is a round white spot, say ten feet in 
diameter, which resembles moonlight shining through a round 
window. Over you, in the first balcony, is the stereopticon, and 
the young man who changes the pictures. 

Before you, on the edge of the stage, stands the lecturer, done 
in perfect-fitting black suit and white tie, graceful and easy. 
He says, '' Ladies and gentlemen, we propose to make the 
trip on that most beautiful of all rivers, the Rhine, from May- 
ence to Cologne." Change — Behold ! the round white spot on 
the canvas has become a picture of a steamboat and a river. 
" This picture, ladies and gentlemen^ represents one of those 
palaces which float on the Rhine and on which we will make 
our tour. Imagine yourselves sitting on the deck which is 
shown in the. picture, under the awning; you will see some fig- 
ures of people there now." 

Change again — We have before us a city with large buildings^ 
with a castle on the hill in the background, and the steamboats 
in the foreground. " This, ladies and gentlemen, is Bingen, 
sweet Bingen ; Bingen on the Rhine." 

Change — and we have before us a view of the river winding 
between very high, rugged hills, on the top of one of which we 
see the turrets and ruins of a castle. " This picture, ladies and 
gentlemen, represents one the most celebrated places that we 
will see in our tour of the Rhine. It is Ivorelei Bend. Those 
ruins which you see on that promontory just coming into view 
over the bow of the steamer, in the distance there (I hope you 
all see it, for as I said this is one of the celebrated places) are 
the ruins of Wapenstein Castle, which was the home of the 
Goddess of Straw. The Goddess of Straw was very much loved 
by the simple people, who, in her time, made up the sparse pop- 
ulation, on account of her kind deeds, and never-ceasing char- 
itable work. Annually, during the time of mature crops, could 
always be seen, toiling up the mountains over those rugged 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 22$ 

paths, peasant people carrying bundles of straw, which they left 
with the goddess, who in return would present to each one a 
portion of salve, which would act as a balm for all pain until 
the next harvest time." 

And this, my friends, is the way we saw the Rhine in Central 
Music Hall. The thing was so very simple that it has always 
caused amusement at the extremely easy way with which we 
were entertained. 

Until we would pass Bonn, we had learned that we would not 
find any great beauty or interest in the trip, and this we found 
to be true. 

The banks, during the distance, which occupied about three 
hours, are not high or picturesque. There are not many trees, and 
the fiat fields extending back from the river added nothing not 
possessed by well cultivated farm land. Occasionally there 
would be a hill of considerable prominence, and sometimes fine 
mansions surrounded by trees, all pretty of course, but not the 
extraordinary thing of beauty that we look for on the Rhine. 
I said to my partner, "This must improve, or the Rhine will 
not sustain its reputation." It did improve, however. After 
we left Bonn immediately the hills became frequent and high, 
looming up hundreds of feet on each side of the river, many of 
them rough and uncultivated, while many of them are covered 
with grapevines, and then we had what you have heard of so 
long, viz., " The Vine-clad Hills." 

This feature of the "Vine-clad Hills" increased as we pro- 
ceeded up the river and farther and farther got into the vine 
and wine, producing country. 

I think the patience and expense that is consumed in the 
production and care of the grapevines, is the most wonderful 
illustration of industry and patience, that I have ever seen. 
Apparently as Nature left them, the hills which produce the 
grapes, from which the Moselle and Johanisberger comes, which 
are so indispensable to awaken wit and loosen the tongues of 
the banquet orators, had but little, if any, earth covering the 
rocks. But by using the abundant stones and building walls 
for terraces, they have been converted into the "Vine-clad 
-Hills." 
IS 



226 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

Beginning almost with the level of the water of the river, the 
terraces will commence, in many places the walls being ten feet 
high and the terrace only a few feet, six or more, wide, then 
another will rise from that one again, and so irregularly, but 
covering the entire hill, or mountain, which may be five hun- 
dred feet above the surface of the river, until in the distance 
the terraced hills will look as though they were supplied with 
steps on which to ascend them^ and each step will look as though 
it was covered with a green carpet, while the front of the steps, 
being the wall, will look to be light-colored. 

I don't think the terraces and vines add much beauty to the 
hills. They look ragged and discolored, and not as beautiful 
as they would in their natural state, and as a beautiful, mount- 
ainous, or hilly landscape, the valley of the Rhine does ^ot 
compare favorably at all with the hills of the English Lakes, or 
the mountains and lakes of the home of Rob Roy. The river 
is nat as wide as I supposed it was. It is much narrower than 
our Hudson River, even at Cologne, and it decreases in width 
as you ascend until a mile or so below Bingen. ''At Bingen it 
is wide, and above Bingen still wider, and with some small 
islands. 

If robbed of the history which belongs to the P.hine, and which 
is constantly before you in the castles and historical towns, and 
the peculiar interest which is excited by them, and the culti- 
vation of the grapes, I think many of the glories of the Rhine 
would drift away. 

Yet I must not be understood as saying that the Rhine is not 
a beautiful river ; on the contrary, I do most emphatically say, 
that it is a very beautiful river, but when we measure it by 
beauty alone, a beautiful river with bends among the hills, with 
fine hills and fields, and fine homes and ornamentation, our 
Hudson, the St. Lawrence, with its Thousand Islands, the Upper 
Mississippi, and perhaps others, will demand foremost, if not 
first position in the race. Writers of Prose, Poets, and Artists 
have done more for the Rhine than Nature, or fully as much. 

We approach it and embark upon its waters, charged with 
the romance, and song, and history, which hover over its castel- 
lated ruins and hills, and while we follow the chart as the good 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 22/ 

steamer pushes on, and locate with the ruins and towns the 
legends which belong to them, we see, when we stop to think, 
that the preponderance of our interest is centered in those 
things. Yet what can possibly be more interesting than a tour 
of the Rhine ? 

Think of the grand combination of interesting subjects, which 
we rush by. A beautiful river, magnificent and varied scenery, 
the works of man ; including grand specimens of his production, 
and bold specimens of his demolition as both have accumulated 
for a thousand years ; then add to these the introduction that 
you are having to the things of which you have read, and of which 
you have known for years, which you have heard of in song and 
recitation, which formed your tasks as a school child, which have 
been household words, and which you have seen on canvas ; 
and you will then see what makes the tour of the Rhine so 
pre-eminently interesting, which, when you have done it by 
going up, you will immediately want to return and do it by going 
down. 

The greatest interest during the trip is experienced between 
Bonn and Bingen, which took us, going against the very swift 
current, I think about eight hours. It is in this distance that 
the much greater portion of castles, ruins, and walled towns are 
located. 

I would not pretend to give a number for the castles and 
ruins Avhich we passed, but much of the time before we had 
finished reading the short history, or legend of one, we would 
be sweeping by another. Of course I can do nothing more here 
than to mention a very few of the castles which interested us 
most. 

Rheinfels is situated near the little town of Saint Goar. It 
is three hundred and seventy-five feet above the water of the 
jiver, and was founded in 1245 t>y Count Diether the Third of 
Katzenelnbogen. It went through many sieges and wars, when 
finally in 1797 it was blown up. In 181 2 it was sold for one 
hundred pounds, and in 1843 ^^ ^^s bought by Prince William, 
afterwards the old Emperor. He restored it, preserving the 
original style of architecture. 

Sterrenberg and Liebenstein, two ruins of castles, situated 



228 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

near each other, are usually called The Brothers. Lord Lie- 
benstein had two sons, Conrad and Heinrich, and they both 
became enamored with their foster sister Hildegarde. Hein- 
rich relinquished and joined the Crusaders. The old lord built 
Sterrenberg for Conrad, and his bride to be, but Conrad grew 
fickle, and also went with the Crusaders. Hildegarde did not 
know of Conrad's perfidy until he returned with a Grecian bride. 
Heinrich then returned, and being outraged with Conrad's treat- 
ment of Hildegarde, challenged him to a mortal combat, but 
the duel was stopped by the deserted maiden, who retired to a 
convent situated on the rocks near by. The Grecian bride soon 
proved faithless, and the brothers becoming reconciled lived 
and died in Liebenstein, while Sterrenberg was forever deserted. 

Schonburg Castle is near by the old town of Oberwesel, and is 
high above the Rhine, and with its four mighty towers, has with- 
stood the elements and wars through seven centuries. It has 
recently been restored and is a commanding pile. It looked 
magnificent from the steamer, as we saw it, with its flag-capped 
towers, on one of which, high above all the others, floated 
glorious Old Glory. 

I could not learn how or why he was there, but there he was, 
and we feasted our eyes on him. The castle is owned by Herr 
Ness, and is the birthplace of men, whose names are in history, 
as is also the name of the edifice itself. 

Lorelei Rock, or Hill, is four hundred and thirty feet above 
the Rhine. It stands out bold, and requires skillful navigating 
to pass safely around the short curve which is there, in order to 
avoid collision with boats going in the opposite direction. The 
Rock used to be the home of a nymph who used to entice 
sailors, and fishermen, to their destruction in the whirlpool at 
the foot of the rock. She was a wicked nymph. 

Oberwesel is down on the map of Roman Roads as Vasavia. 
It is now a town of twenty-seven hundred people. The wall, 
which once surrounded the town, is yet much of it quite intact, 
and as it runs along the side of the hill over the town, is plainly 
seen from the boat. At short intervals around the wall are 
high fortress like towers, built for the protection of the defenders. 
The old town has its part in history, and is a splendid illustra- 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 229 

tion of the desperate experiences through which the world has 
passed. 

Bingen — " Fair Bingen on the Rhine " — is known to all. It 
was once a Roman military station, and now has about eight 
thousand people. Above the town, commanding fine views of 
the- river and Vine-clad Hills, is Klopp Castle, which, like many 
others, fell under French destruction in 1689. It has been en- 
tirely restored, and looks dignified and time-honored. It stands 
on the site of the ancient Roman fortress. 

Opposite Bingen is a grand terraced hill, very high and very 
large. It is Rudesheimer Berg, and is the home of the Rude- 
sheimer grape, which furnishes the choice wine of that name. 
It is the grandest specimen of the terraced hill to be seen on the 
Rhine. The tradition is, that Charlemagne first caused it to be 
planted with vines. 

Coblenz is situated at the confluence of the Moselle with the 
Rhine. It is a fine old city, noted for its production of the 
Moselle, and has thirty-eight thousand people. Opposite, con- 
nected with a pontoon bridge, is the town and magnificent forti- 
fication Ehrenbreitstein. 

The fortress of Ehrenbreitstein dates from the seventh century 
and possibly earlier. It is time-honored and world-famed, and 
has always been of vast importance as a military stronghold, 
having but twice succumbed to an enemy ; once through the 
treachery of its commander, and once through the garrison being 
starved into surrender. It is three hundred and eighty-five feet 
above the Rhine, enormous and impregnable. 

It will hardly be right for me to leave this subject without 
mentioning a circumstance, which quite vividly brought to my 
mind some of our friends at home. 

As we were moving past a small town, which filled a cove 
among the hills, extending up over the sides of them and down 
to the river, we read on the side of a large building the words 
" ApoUinaris Company Limited." We investigated the subject, 
and for the benefit of our several friends, who always call for 
ApoUinaris, I will give the result of the investigation. 

The town was Remagen. In 1 164 the head of the revered 
Saint ApoUinaris was being conveyed to Cologne, when by mira- 



230 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

culous agency unknown, the vessel stopped in the river, and could 
not be made to go farther. The head was deposited in a chapel 
on shore, and now a handsome church, Apollinariskircke, marks 
the place. In a valley not far away is the Apollinarisbrunnen, 
from which the water which our friends like so well, comes. 
There are other springs of the same kind, hence plenty of the 
water. We find that seven hundred and fifty thousand bottles 
go monthly to America. 

Night overtook us on leaving Bingen, and for an hour and a 
half we were entertained watching the many lights on the banks 
and hills, and with the many boats that were all the time about 
us. This feature, the night portion of the tour, I don't think is 
experienced by those who make the tour down for, on account 
of the swiftness of the current, I think they must reach Cologne 
before dark. I think the night portion, coming as it does when 
Bingen and the things which require daylight have been passed, 
is an advantage, for there are beauties which go with a moon- 
light trip on the Rhine, which in daylight are unknown. The 
moon honored us, for which we mentally thanked her. Half- 
past nine found us moored in Mayence, and I cannot imagine 
how more pleasure could be crowded into thirteen hours of a 
fine day than by a duplicate of that trip. %> 

This is all I can do for you, relatives and friends, and T fear 
you are long-since tired ; as I said on the first page, the subject 
is too much for me. I think you will return and see the writer 
in the picture of the pig. 

It was but a few minutes after the steamer touched the land- 
ing until we were domiciled at the Rheinischer Hof, and were 
having some chocolate and bread and butter. Immediately on 
arriving in Holland we learned what chocolate was, and now every 
breakfast and late supper we have it. The writer is fond of 
chocolate, and usually orders it for breakfast when it can 
be obtained. He has had it in the hotels of New York and 
Boston, and other cities where the cuisine is famed, but must 
acknowledge that until he drank chocolate in Holland, he did 
not appreciate how delicious it could be. We find the same 
degree of excellence is kept up in Belgium and Germany, hence 
we drink chocolate. It is the best thing to drink before retiring 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 23 I 

that I ever sampled. Perhaps, though, you all know that it is 
good. It is possible that there are a few things, which you 
learned long ago, that I am just finding out. 

Mayence has seventy-two thousand inhabitants, twenty-three 
thousand of whom are Protestants ; the garrison has eight 
thousand soldiers, and the establishment of a strong Roman 
camp here, called Castrum, dates before the Christian era 
thirty-eight years. 

In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries it had wonderful 
commercial prosperity, and was called in consequence the 
Goldene Mainz. In the fifteenth century, however, it incurred 
the displeasure of the Archbishop, Adolph of Nassau, who in 
1462 attacked the town, and killed five hundred of its citizens, 
and banished many of its most influential ones. Christianity 
flourished in Mayence as early as 368. In the eighth century 
the first prelate, being a son of an English wheelwright, placed 
in his armor a pair of wheels. They yet adorn the arms of the 
city. 

We walked about the city in the rain, and saw the people 
following their daily vocations. In the market-places we saw 
fine displays of excellent vegetables, entirely presided over by 
women. The streets were very quiet, there being but few peo- 
ple on them. The people walked slowly and the wagons and 
horse cars moved slowly. Everything went slowly except some 
battalions of soldiers, which were marching behind big bands 
of music and drum corps. They marched with quick step, 
strong and in a determined manner. The Emperor has reason 
to be proud of his soldiers ; they are every inch soldiers. The 
people are much interested in the soldiers, and will stand and 
watch them with as much interest as will we in Chicago, yet 
they are marching about all the time. 

We walked through the cathedral. It dates from the tenth 
century, and is interesting in paintings, statuary and tomb- 
stones. There is much carving, and the fifty-six enormous 
pillars, which support the roof, are surprising. 

Near the cathedral, prominent and appropriate, stands a 
statue of Gutenberg, the inventor of printing, which was erected 
in 1837. 



232 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

At- an antiquarian's we bought a few Roman coins and some 
photographs, and at one-twenty o'clock left for Heidelberg. 

I am now writing in Lucerne. The next will tell you of Hei- 
delberg, and possibly of our ride through the Black Forest.* 

It is Wednesday, September 12th. 



LETTER XXVII. 

Lucerne, Switzerland, Sept. 12th, 1894. 

The ride from Mayence to Heidelberg occupied between two 
and three hours, during the greater part of which we had hard 
rain. In the old University Town we located in the Adler 
Hotel, the view from our windows being over the low buildings 
about us, and stopped b}'^ the enormous hill, which walls one 
side of the valley, and on which stands out boldly the enor- 
mous ruins of the castle. 

While we -were at dinner the rain increased until it was a 
storm of rain and fierce cold wind, which made the windows 
rattle, and the trees shake, and us to thank the good fortune of 
being comfortably housed. At six o'clock we had dined, and 
as the storm forbade us doing- anything but remain inside, we 
went to our room, and I wrote No. 26. 

It was very cold and we sat with our street wraps on. Finally 
at ten-thirty, we having ordered additional covering, and hav- 
ing piled on everything which was available, and which would 
add warmth, we retired and got warm once more. The storm 
raged, and reminded us during the night of its fury, and still 
in the morning it was with us. But after breakfast it ceased 
and the sun came out. It being Sunday, and my partner hav- 
ing learned of the English Church, went there, while I stayed 
at home and wrote at the history of our tour. A battle raged 
all day between the sun and the clouds, some of the time one 
would predominate, and at other times the other would, and 
some of the time it rained. About four o'clock we inquired 
where we could go to hear some music, and were told to the 
Castle Garden. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 233 

Six hundred and forty feet above the River Neckar, which 
runs at the base of the Jettenbiihl, and on the hill so named, 
is the most magnificent ruin in German}', Heidelberg Castle. 

It was founded by Count Rudolph First from 1294 to 1319. 
Then Rupert Third, who was elected Roman King in 1400, 
added largely to the building. Afterwards came the electors 
Frederick First, and Lewis Fifth, who each again added to the 
castle. 

Then the history tells us that the palatial portions were added 
by the electors of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, par- 
ticularly Otto Heinrich, Frederick Fourth, and Frederick Fifth, 
the latter being King of Bohemia, and the husband of Eliza- 
beth, daughter of James the First of England. 

In 1689, the French being temporarily in possession of the 
city and the castle, were compelled to evacuate, and blew up 
the fortifications, burned the castle and part of the town. Then 
again in four years the French appeared and completed their 
work of destruction. Then came Elector Carl Theodor, who 
again rebuilt the old home of the kings during his time, 17 16- 
1742, but in 1764 the final stroke came, when, by lightning, a 
fire was ignited, which left the ruins that we now see ; and now, 
as for a hundred years, ivy is gradually "creeping, creeping, 
where no- life is seen," and taking possession, showing the 
steady unimpeded progress of Nature in her work, which, as 
compared with the uncertain destructible work of man, as shown 
in the history of the castle, proves the insignificance of man in 
the economy of the Universe. 

The hill is well covered with tall trees, which grow closely 
together, hence make dense shade. The narrow road, which we 
took to the castle is, much of the climb, made up of steps, and 
all the distance is through the heavy shade under the trees. It 
is a long steady ascent which makes the knees tremble and 
ache, and the breath to respond with short respirations. At 
last we reached the summit, and found ourselves in the midst 
of a most beautiful park, ornamented with trees, circling walks, 
flowers, and the ruins of the castle. 

In one part of the ground is what is called Castle Garden, 
where a band plays at stated times, and where refreshments are 



234 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

sold. I need not say of what they consist. We walked about 
and enjoyed the magnificent views for a long time. From one 
place in the grounds and from one of the terraces in the ruins 
the view is most magnificent. It extends over the valley and 
town, the river and plain. In the distance, for miles beyond 
the town, the vision covers a grand agricultural plain, scattered 
over which are seen the spires and towers of villages, and over 
which float streaks of white smoke and steam which are left by 
moving locomotives. The rivers look like strips of silver ribbon, 
crooked, and spread over green carpet. It is truly magnificent. 
We took a seat and feasted on it, as you sometimes want to 
before a grand painting. 

Scattered about the grounds, which were once the inclosure 
of the castle, are pieces of the ruined statuary, and they tell of 
the ravages of time and the wars. Finally we came around to 
the garden, went in and took a seat at one of the tables under 
the trees, and while we listened to the music, we sipped from a 
mug of Munich beer and watched the people. 

The music was very lovely, and quite familiar, and brought to 
mind the concerts by the bands in the Exposition. The people 
were of the better classes, the professional and business people, 
I' judged. They were well-dressed and genteel. Coffee was as 
much drank at the tables as was beer or wine, or both. There 
were many men in uniform, at one table being eight of His 
Majesty's officers, in full dress uniform, together. They were 
a good-looking lot of soldiers, and they drank coffee. 

At last the last number of the program was executed, *the mu- 
sicians, carrying their instruments and overcoats, filed down and 
out of their little pavilion ; the people departed by the several 
exits, singly, in couples, and by quartets, and in a minute the 
garden was empty, the chairs vacant. 

It was all perfectly orderly and respectable, much more so 
than I have ever before seen in a beer-garden Sunday afternoon. 
As usual we found the descent easier than the ascent, and on 
arriving at the hotel my partner ate bread and honey and drank 
milk, while I drank good tea, and ate Brod and Schweizer Kase. 
At ten o'clock I had written until I was tired, so retired. 

Monday after breakfast we retraced our steps to the castle to 



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EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 235 

be admitted to the building, and inspect the ruins minutely, 
which we could not do Sunday. This visit afforded an oppor- 
tunity to form a correct opinion of the vastness of the ruins, and 
of the great cost and magnificence which they once represented. 
The rows of statuary, of busts, and heads, and the remains of 
the paintings, all of which were by artists celebrated in their 
day, yet tell the story of their cost and magnificence. The 
alchemists' room, where the old villains toiled, trying to cheat 
nature and man by the discovery of a way to make gold, is still 
shown, but no solution of the toiled-for problem is shown. 
Again the incompetency of man. 

We pass on and find ourselves in a room which I should say 
is thirty feet square. Extending down from the roof is a vast 
funnel, say eight feet square, which decreases to the size of a 
chimney, and opens out through the roof. Under this funnel is 
the remains of a fireplace, being of sufficient size to accommo- 
date at one time the roasting of two oxen. The funnel was to 
form draft and to catch the smoke. 

We pass through the throne-room and the anteroom the 
audience chamber, the rooms of the Emperor and Empress, 
and finally come to the blown-up tower, a grim example of the 
work of the French. Their powder blast split off a vast piece 
of the tower. The mason work and mortar, however, were so 
excellent, that'the great blown-offside of the tower did not fall to 
pieces, but simply toppled over and fell into the moat, where it 
now stands a monument to faithful workmanship, and to the wan- 
ton destruction of the French. 

We pass on, and are shown the addition which was built for 
the better accommodation of the English Princess, Elizabeth, into 
and through the banqueting hall, where undoubtedly " sounds of 
revelry have been heard by night," and in a room adjoining is 
shown a pump which connected with the wine casks in the 
cellars beneath. Then we had a view of the chapel, which was 
large and light, and yet shows remains of beautiful ornamenta- 
tion. We went on, through corridors, up winding stairs and 
had a view from the towers, and finally to the wine cellars, where 
we were shown two of the casks. Others were there, several of 
them, w^hich are gone now, and of the two that remain one is 



236 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

the largest of all, its capacity being forty-nine thousand gallons. 
On the top of it is built a deck or platform with a railing around 
it, where the filling of the cask used to be celebrated by dancing. 
It has been filled three times, the last time during the eighteenth 
century. I think the woman told us in 1759. 

Near by is a wooden statue of the Court Jester, and we were 
told he was allowed all the wine he could drink, and that he 
made way with from fifteen to eighteen bottles daily. 

At one of the entrances we were shown four granite columns, 
I should say eighteen inches in diameter. They came from the 
palace of Charlemagne at Ingelheim, and are over a thousand 
years old. 

In a hall of the castle, which is in good preservation, is a 
museum, with a separate and additional admission fee. It con- 
tains a great number of portraits, undoubtedly many of them of 
people whose names are in histor}^, many old writings and man- 
uscripts, and arms, armor, etc. We did not give it more time 
than to walk slowly through it and among the curios. 

As we found ourselves at the commencement of the descent 
from the castle to the town, we turned, and having taken a last 
careful survey of it, decided that it is as interesting as any ruin 
we have seen. 

Heidelberg has thirty-two thousand inhabitants, ten thou- 
sand of whom are Roman Catholics. It is in the Grand Duchy 
of Baden, and Saturday the display of flags, and the firing of 
cannon which we noticed was in honor of the birthday of the 
Grand Duke of Baden. 

Nothing connected with the old city is more famed than its 
university, which was founded in 1386 by Elector Rupert First. 
We limited our attention to the university to walking about 
among, and looking at the buildings, which are in the heart of 
the city. They are very plain and old, and in the winter there 
are about one thousand students, while in summer the number 
is twelve hundred. 

The custom yet prevails in the university for the students to 
settle their difficulties with the use of pistols or swords. In 
the village Neuenheim, on the opposite side of the Neckar, is 
the Gasthaus Zur Hirschgasse, a boarding-house for students, 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 237 

and in which there is a hall where they fight. We walked over 
what is called the Old Bridge, and saw the Gasthaus. The 
mistress told us that the rules were they should fight fifty 
minutes, unless, before the expiration of that time, one of the 
combatants should be wounded severely enough to withdraw, 
or, in the opinion of the surgeon and umpire, to appease the 
wrath of the opponent. 

When they fight with pistols, they sit in chairs with their 
backs to each other and shoot by guess. Swords are usually 
used, and to wear a scar is considered an honor among the 
young fools. We saw one of them who had a bad scar the 
length of his face. The woman told us these encounters are of 
frequent occurrence, sometimes several in a week. The floor 
of the hall was covered with blood-stains which the German 
girl who accompanied us was pleased to call our attention to, 
pointing and saying, " Blut ! blut ! " Now, my dear relatives 
and friends, we have no way of proving, other than those given 
above, what kind of blood-stains those were. It is possible 
that the boarding-house keeper kills her chickens in that hall. 

We walked about the streets of the town and looked into the 
shop windows, which we have done so much this summer. In 
fact that is the way we do most of our shopping. Again we 
visited the market and saw fine vegetables for sale by country 
women. 

We had a look at the oldest house in the town, which is now 
the Hotel Ritter, and left for Lucerne via the Falls of the Rhine 
at Schaffhausen, at three-twenty Monday the tenth, and felt 
that we had gotten the value of our money in Heidelberg. 

I think my impressions of Germany are more favorable than 
I thought they would be, by visiting the country. I think this 
is owing to the fact that we have erroneous impressions of all 
the European countries, caused by the class of representatives 
which they furnish us. The Germans, undoubtedly, are a great 
people, but they are not a pleasant people. They are boors in 
manners. They look well-clad, well-fed, thrifty, and fairly 
clean, but I don't think I would like to live among them. 

The country through which we rode is the perfection of 
neatness and care in its cultivation, the farming and gardening 



238 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

being perfection itself. We conclude that the people must be 
great users of vegetables, on account of the vast portion of the 
land which seems to be devoted to their production, though 
they may send them to other countries. We think they do to 
England at least. 

We noticed Indian corn growing in many places sufficient to 
cut a considerable figure as a crop in the country. It does not 
mature, and is not grown to mature, but for feed while in the 
green state. It is very rich, strong feed, and evidently the 
Germans have found it out. 

Our route from Heidelberg was by way of Baden Baden, 
leaving Strasburg a few miles to our right, into and through the 
Black Forest, by way of Freiberg, to Schaffhausen, and thence 
up the Valley of the Rhine, and finally to Lucerne by way of 
Zurich. 

For two and a half hours we had fine agricultural country, 
which lasted until we were at Baden Baden. Here commenced 
what is called the Black Forest. A very hilly, almost mount- 
ainous country, with much forest land ; in fact the greatest 
forest in Germany. Gradually we left the level smooth 
land entirely, and the train was constantly running in among 
hills, along valleys, and through many tunnels. We would 
stop at villages and little towns, which would occupy small 
places in the valleys, in which the houses all had the wide 
eaves peculiar to parts of Germany and Switzerland. The peo- 
ple were at the stations in considerable numbers, and all looked 
alike ; very plainly but comfortably clad. 

The hills kept increasing in size as we got farther into the 
country until they might be called mountains. The valleys 
are very deep and narrow, and the scenery rugged and grand. 
At last the daylight was gone, and we had instead moonlight 
and a clear sky. The combination of moonlight, moving train, 
the hills and valleys, and the villages and streams, was very 
effective. Sometimes we would be hundreds of feet above the 
villages, which, with the shiny water of the stream that would 
almost always be near, would look very beautiful in the moon- 
light. 

Had it not been so cold, the ride would have been very en- 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 239 

joyable, but though we were heavily wrapped and well clad, we 
were very cold. We had a compartment to ourselves, hence 
could take advantage of the views on both sides. Frequently, 
as we would dodge around the hills, we could catch a glimpse 
of the North Star, and by that would know the direction in 
which we were running. It is the same North Star that we 
have seen so many times from the step of 258, and I remarked 
to my partner about it as we rushed along through the forest. 

At a little town, the name of which I did not learn, a little 
man in uniform came into the compartment, said something in 
a language which we did not recognize, turned the glare of a 
bright light on my partner and me, then on our packages, and 
with what seemed like an expression of contempt, turned, went 
out of the compartment, and slammed the door hard. He rep- 
resented the Republic of Switzerland, in its customs depart- 
ment, and it seemed as though he was saying to himself, " I 
don't think I will spend the time this cold night to examine 
the baggage of those two tramps." We were then in Switzer- 
land. 

All things come to those who will but wait, and finally at 
eleven o'clock we were at Schaffhausen, and soon in the omni- 
bus for a ride of two miles, nearly all the way uphill, to the 
Hotel Schweizerhof, situated by the Falls of the Rhine. But 
this, too, was finally over and we were having some delicious 
chocolate. 

As we entered the hotel a very gentlemanly young man met 
us, immediately behind whom stood a plump, round-faced 
maid, who wore a black bodice and skirt over a white bodice 
and skirt, the white one being high up around the throat, while 
the black one was several inches lower about the neck, and 
several inches shorter in the skirt than the white one. Run- 
ning around the waist and crossed on the chest, and on the 
back, and fastened on the chest and on the shoulders behind 
was a silver chain, the fastenings mentioned above being 
brooches about the size of a silver dollar. Her head-dress was 
a doily, put on cornerwise, with the corners pinned down. 
She was pretty and neat. The young man proceeded upstairs 
and had us select our room, while the maid followed behind my 



240 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

partner and carried our umbrellas ; two men followed her 
Carrying our satchels and carryall, and standing at the room 
door were two other maids, who followed in the rear and en- 
tered the room with the procession ; hence we had six attend- 
ants to our room. I don't think if that customs officer had seen 
us then he would have been so brusque as before. 

We breakfasted the next morning at nine o'clock, and having 
learned that a train would leave for Lucerne, which would re- 
quire us to leave the hotel at two p. m., we proceeded to see 
the Falls. The Falls of the Rhine are locally called Laufen, 
and the station near by is Neuhausen. It is one of the finest 
cascades in Europe. The width of the river at the falls is 
about one hundred and twenty-six yards, and the height of the 
unbroken fall, at the highest place, is sixty-two feet. Including 
the rapids immediately above and immediately below the falls, the 
fall maybe said to be one hundred feet. It is a most beautiful 
cascade with most beautiful surroundings ; a place to stay and 
dream the time away. 

We walked about and looked at the falls from all points, and 
returned to the hotel, which stands high up on the hill, overlook- 
ing everything, and for an hour sat and enjoyed it all. One 
thing that adds much to the pleasure of a trip to the Falls of the 
Rhine, is the excellence of the Hotel Schweizerhof. 

While dressing for breakfast, I was almost paralyzed by a 
notice which I read, which is posted in the room. It is in En- 
glish, French, and German, and this is what it says : " Visitors 
are requested to offer no fees to the hotel attendants, as they 
receive extra pay on the express understanding that no fee shall 
be accepted." I tell you that notice was a stunner ; to be thus 
arbitrarily relieved for once of that intolerable nuisance of 
European travel, seemed too good to be true. I felt like immedi- 
ately flying to the office and telling the clerk to duphcate all 
charges against Room No. 17. 

I shook hands with myself, I hugged my partner, I threw open 
the windows and inhaled a ton of mountain air, and then I went 
out on the veranda and walked up and down until I cooled off. 
And this, too, in Switzerland, on the Continent ! I thought 
Great Britain bad enough in the matter of fees, but as compared 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 24 1 

with the Continent, Great Britain in that particular is a golden 
angel. We were about deciding that the best way to do would 
be to keep a pocket full of coins, and promptly take a handful 
and hold it out to every person we might meet. 

All hail to the Falls of the Rhine, and the Hotel Schweizerhof ! 
We will remember you with happiness as long as we live. 

The ride from Schaffhausen to Lucerne required, including the 
wait at Zurich of a half hour, about five hours, and ended at 
about eight-thirty. For an hour and a half, or more, we followed 
the valley of the Rhine, and as before wound among the hills 
and villages. Then we found ourselves in land that was not as 
rugged, and which is cultivated to the highest state of perfection, 
and the landscape is very beautiful. The towns show perfection 
in order and cleanliness, and owing to the great number of fruit 
trees, and the wide eaves of the houses, there is an air of com- 
fort pervading all the time, and it is all very quaint and in- 
teresting. One thing we have seen that we don't like, and that 
is they make a beast of burden of the cow. 

I think when boss furnishes milk, for which we have so many 
and so important uses, and keeps with us her kind, all of which 
cut a figure of so much importance in the economies of the 
human family, she ought to be relieved of the drudgery of the 
plow and the cart. 

Suddenly, unexpectedly, while we were lounging in our seats 
enjoying the quiet country scene, the train came around from 
behind the hills, and out into open landscape, which stretched 
off for miles, and ended against he wall of the Alps. How 
magnificent, majestic, and awe-inspiring they looked. Their 
pointed and steepled tops, white with snow, stand there as they 
have while races of men have come and gone. 

Now as I look from where I sit, and take in the majesty of 
Pilatus, and Rigi, I smile at ever having seen mountains before. 
Ben Lomond, Ben Venue, and Ben Nevis are little boys, mere 
Bennies. 

We will talk about the Alps at another time. 
16 



242 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 



LETTER XXVIII. 

Lucerne, September i^th^ 1894. 

When you arrive in Lucerne by railway, and walk from the 
station to the cab-stand immediately at hand, and say to a cab- 
man, " Pension Suter,'* if you have a partner, he will undoubtedly 
answer you by saying, " three francs." You will perhaps ex- 
postulate at the charge, when the driver will point to a square 
white house situated on the side of a hill, that in any other 
country would be called a mountain, high above tiie town, then 
you will say no more, and as usual the cabman will have his 
way. You and your partner will take seats in the cab, you will 
hand the porter who has carried your luggage from the train to 
the cab some centimes, and the cab will go at a jog-trot pace 
toward the hill. On arriving at the commencement of the 
ascent, the driver will leave his seat, and will lead the horse 
up the hill. 

The road which zig-zags back ai:d forth, is simply a zig-zag 
terrace, with a railing on the downhill side, say three feet high. 
It is a private road belonging to and for the use only of the 
Pension Suter and one or two neighboring villas. It is a very 
pretty road, being covered the entire length with trees and 
shade. At last the driver, the horse, the cab, your partner, and 
you will arrive at the house, in the order named, and you will 
immediately be shown to your room by one of the hostesses. 
It being some time after dark, she will say, " You have no 
dined ? " " No, we have not dined." " Zen if you will please 
go to ze coffee room, you will be served quick. Some ladies 
bezare now being served." And thus will commence your 
experience of pension life. Pension Suter is not a large house ; 
to obtain the size, I have just been out and paced it on the 
terrace, and make it forty-two by fifty-four feet. The down- 
hill side is three stories high, while on the other side the 
height is two stories. There are some dependencies on the 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 243 

hill side near by, which furnish additional rooms. The visitors 
usually number from forty to fifty during the summer months. 
Our hostesses and proprietresses are two sisters, spinsters, whose 
hair tells that they have well entered into the gray period of 
their lives. They are intelligent, competent women, exceedingly 
attentive to the visitors and their comforts. 

They supply us with three of the most satisfactory meals that 
we have experienced since we landed in Europe, an exquisitely- 
cared for room, with good beds, and they charge us six 
francs per day for each person. 

Home cooking : — Meats well cooked, with nice gravy ; 
potatoes, h la Pension Ferris Rue Ontario ; brod und butter, 
Hotel zum Ferris Ontario Strasse ; a dish of berries to help 
yourself from, while no person is watching, with soft sugar and 
cream to go with them, just as we have them in Chicago. 
Now it is known that I am a moderate eater ; but my partner — 
well,'I won't say anything about her appetite until I get our bill, 
but I will say that my partner's health is all right. 

The visitors are nearly all Americans and Britishers. Two 
of them we will not say anything about, but the rest are all very 
pleasant and sociable. They are interested in the excursions 
and doings of each other, their experiences of travel in the 
different countries, and all feel much at home. 

On the low side of the house, running the full width, is the 
-dining-room, on the same level with the terrace, having doors 
and windows that open out on it. There is one table the 
entire length of the room, excepting only room to conveniently 
pass about. There is all the time nice linen, nice china, and a 
row of vases filled with flowers, which the terrace furnishes, 
adorn the table, as though arranged for a banquet. Two 
hundred feet below is the city and lake, while about us, tower- 
ing until their heights are usually lost in the clouds, are Rigi, 
Pilatus, Burgenstock, and others, and in the distance, when the 
clouds do not prevent, blending well with the light blue sky, is 
the snow-covered range of the Alps. All about us, on the 
mountains and hills, sometimes high above us, are other 
pensions and hotels. 

Since our arrival here we have been having moonlight nights, 



244 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

and have not retired until we have taken many turns back and 
forth on the terrace, and reveled in the brilliancy of the night 
scene, in which the moon, the city, the lights, lake, and mount- 
ains perform prominent parts. Lovely ! Lovely ! 

Opposite us at the long table are an English family, father, 
mother and two daughters, young ladies. Their home is in 
Australia and they are charming people. Extending along to 
our right is a party of Irish ladies, who are well-dressed and 
very genteel people. Madam on my right is very funny and in- 
teresting, and is much interested in America, because it is the 
friend she thinks, and as she says, " of my dear old country." 
Yet she is not entirely certain whether she means North or 
South America. 

She is well turned the perfection period of middle woman- 
hood. Her hair differs from that of the other madam, who 
adorns my left, in that Nature made the carmine dye more 
brilliant. 

She said, " I was so exceedingly pleased, some years ago, 
with meeting the great General of your great war." " Yes," 
said I, " that would be pleasing." " Oh, yes, it was charming, 
both the meeting and the man. So strange indeed, a little 
modest man ; the last man in alm.ost any company that you 
would pick out for so great a man." " Whom do you mean .-* " 
asked the lady across the table. "' Why, General McClellan of 
course." Then turning to me, " You Americans call General 
McClellan the Great General of the war, don't you ? " " Oh 
yes. General McClellan was a great General. His gfeatness as 
a General was peculiar to himself. I don't think any other man 
or general was great in the same way." " And what was that, 
may I ask ? " said madam. " He was a great General, but not a 
fighter. I think in all other cases the world has required that 
great generals be fighters who have won battles, and conquered 
countries." As she turned to her dessert, her face wore a 
puzzled, uncertain look, and she seemed to be trying to decide 
how a'man could be a great General, and not be a fighter ; yet 
I think she will go on and tell about the great American 
General, and perhaps qualify his greatness by saying, " He was 
a great General, but not a fighter." 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 245 

Then looking up with interested face, " Do you play whist ? " 
" Yes, indifferently." " We have some charming rubbers of 
whist here." " Well, that is pleasant ; by the way, do you 
British people ever play duplicate whist ? " " No, I think not, 
at least I never heard of it. Did you, Mr. Taylor, ever hear of 
duplicate whist ? " " No, I never have, at least not by that 
name." Then Madam, again, " In what does duplicate whist 
differ from other whist.? " " It is much the same, except that 
it is a perfect test of the skill of the players ! " " Oh, indeed, 
how much I should like to know it." I said, " I will take 
great pleasure in explaining it after dinner, if you so wish." 
" I would be exceedingly delighted if you would, and it is so 
good of you to do it. I know the rest will all be delighted to 
know about duplicate whist, won't you ? " The rest assented, 
and dinner over, we retired for the lesson. It was successful, 
and was followed with a lesson in euchre, during which my 
partner stood behind the chair of one of the Irish ladies and 
instructed her. Everything went off well, and it was a 
pleasant evening, and shows pension life. 

We arrived here Tuesday night. It is now Sunday the i6th, 
and my partner is at church. 

W^ednesday, Thursday and Friday, our writing being behind, 
and having a number of letters to answer, we did not do any- 
thing but walk about the town a little, and write. Thursday, 
late in the afternoon, we walked about some, sat on the quay 
under the trees and read letters from home, looked across the 
lake at the mountains, and listened to a band which played 
sweetly. At half past-six we sauntered to a church, and paid 
a franc apiece to hear an organ recital. This you know is 
the home of the organ. The concert lasted an hour and was 
good, but I would have liked it better if the two numbers by 
Bach had been omitted. They split my ears. I like low 
dreamy music sometimes. After the organ concert we tugged 
up the big hill, had supper, and I again went on with my writing. 

Saturday, yesterday, we went for a tramp. We left home at 
nine o'clock, and went down into the city, stopped at the bank 
and received several letters, including the one from home of 
September 2d, and thence to the quay and boarded the steamer 



246 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

which goes to Fluelen, at the other end of the lake, distant two 
and a half hours : in miles twenty-three. We had just time to 
read our letters before the boat moved away from the quay, 
swung out into the little bay, turned around and steered straight 
for Mount Rigi, with Pilatus towering into the clouds on our 
right, and a little farther on Burgenstock. 

Baedecker says, that the magnificence of the scenery of Lake 
Lucerne is unsurpassed in Europe. 

The boat was well loaded with people, almost entirely tourists 
and sightseers. Some were bound for Fluelen, while others like 
ourselves were bound for different ones of the tramps and ex- 
cursions which are made from the towns and villages around 
the lake. Those who would go to Fluelen and return would be 
back in Lucerne in about six hours from the time of departure ; 
while the others would straggle back on different boats until 
late in the night. 

Some of the tramps and excursions referred to mean the as- 
cent of mountains by car, or on foot, others tramp among the 
hills in the valleys, and one of the most popular being the walk 
of the Axenstrasse. This last one was what we intended. 

At Gersau, three-quarters of an hour from Lucerne, we left a 
considerable number of our people, whose intention and pur- 
pose it was to ascend Rigi, 5555 feet. They could do it by cars, 
or on foot ; the latter takes three and a half hours. Soon after 
the boat had moved away, we could see the cars slowly crawl- 
ing up the side of the mountain, while near and more slowly 
crawling were the climbers. 

At Brunnen, one and a half hours from Lucerne, we disem- 
barked to make the walk of the Axenstrasse. The Axenstrasse 
is from Brunnen to Fluelen, nine miles. It is simply a terrace 
made on the side of the mountain, a great deal of the way, it 
being hewn out of the side of the solid rock. 

It is perfectly smooth with very easy ascents and descents, 
sometimes it is down even with the level of the water in the 
lake, and then soon by an easy gradual ascent you will find 
yourself three hundred and fifty feet above the water, which will 
be directly perpendicularly beneath you, while over your head 
the rock in which the road is cut will hang out covering it, and 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 247 

extend up perhaps a thousand feet higher. Frequently the road 
is covered with tunnels, and in one place the side of the tunnel 
is cut through leaving a wall about breast high, inside of which 
you stand and look over the lake, the effect being as though 
you were looking through a large open window. 

All the time along with you is the St. Gotthard Railway. 
Some of the time it is above the Axenstrasse, and some of the 
time it is below. Frequently the trains whiz by, and very fre- 
quently you can hear the whistles of the locomotives, which will be 
repeatedly answered by the echoes which live in the precipices 
and sides of the mountains. 

Along by the right hand side of the road as you loiter along 
toward Fluelen is a strong wall about three feet high, on which 
you can lean as you gaze down on the varied colored waters of 
the lake, and wonder how the people get down, who live in the 
Swiss houses, which the floating clouds occasionally reveal on 
the mountains across the lake two or more thousand feet above 
you. 

Much of the distance the lake is not wide, not wider than an 
American river, or in fact not as wide as many of them, hence 
as you walk along the road which follows the curvations of the 
side of the lake, it will turn in around a little cove or bay, for 
a few hundred feet, when you will look toward the lake and all 
you will see will be an immense basin, having walls several 
hundred feet high, surrounding perfectly dead rich green water. 
This effect will be produced by the spurs of the hills projecting 
out and into and over the lake, and hiding from view its con- 
tinuations. 

In some places the road runs along the steep incline of the 
mountains, which will be covered with grass when below you, 
you will see people on the steep sides, pursuing under what are 
in reality mountainous difficulties, their agricultural work, digging 
potatoes, curing grass, or cultivating gardens. Fruit grows too, 
in those places, apples some, but pears and plums abundantly. 

Nature and man have forgotten nothing in the panorama, 
which you pass in the walk of the Axenstrasse. I remember 
of thinking that in one place during our walk, when across the 
lake the land rose from the water in a steep incline, but 



248 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

covered finely with grass and trees, extending up the side of 
Burgenstock, or one of its points which protrudes out into the 
lake. 

Frequently scattered about over the steep incline were 
houses, and the scene of cultivation and life extended to the 
summit. A little further on and we had reached a position, 
from which we could see the other side of the spur of the moun- 
tain, when behold ! it was perpendicular rock from the water, 
a thousand feet high I should think, and thence to the top ap- 
parently rocky forest. Had the sun been shining in the back- 
ground of all this, towering high above it would have been seen 
the snow-clad range. I conclude that the colors belonging to 
Lake Lucerne are fully as many as they are to our Inter Ocean. 

Yesterday they were green, a deep rich green, exactly the 
color of my partner's dress. We carefully compared them. 
You all know the dress — the whole world does, or will before 
long. Had the sun appeared, it is likely the water would have 
taken on a different hue, blue undoubtedly, but under the effect 
of the dark heavy day, it assumed the green of the mountains 

At half-past one, when we had walked six and a half miles, 
and yet had two and a half to Fluelen, we came to the hotel 
Tell's Plr.tte, which is situated on the side of the mountain 
directly above Tell's Chapel. We took seats on the veranda 
overlooking the lake and scene, described in the foregoing 
pages, while a Swiss maid served us an excellent luncheon. 
There was not any of it left when we completed our part of the 
business. 

We rested. I looked over a London paper, in which was the 
American market report, and I read again the unheard-of thing, 
the price of corn much higher than wheat. What is the world 
coming to ? My partner walked about the rooms of the hotel, 
and was interested in seeing the display of Swiss taste, then we 
went down the crooked path, having many flights of steps, to 
the edge of the lake and to Tell's Chapel. The chapel is said 
to have been originally built in 1388, on the spot where the 
Swiss liberator sprang out of Gessler's boat. I should say that 
the present chapel is about thirty feet square. It is right by 
the water of the lake, and was built in 1880. The side next to 



KUROPK FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 249 

the water is open, save that an iron railing prevents you from 
entering. 

A register is there in which you are supposed to inscribe 
your name and residence by reaching through the grating. 
On Friday after Ascension Day, mass is said here, when the 
inhabitants attend in gayly decorated boats. The lake here is 
seven hundred feet deep. A little farther on from this point, 
rising directly from the lake, is Gitschen, 8,335 ^^^^ '"^^g^^- 

The interior of the chapel is ornamented with four paintings 
or frescoes. One represents the three patriots, who, with 
clasped hands, declare for the liberation of the country. The 
place where they are supposed to have stood is near Rutli, on 
the opposite side of the lake, where, tradition says, springs have 
since commenced to flow. 

Another of the frescoes represents the liberator in the pres- 
ence 'of the oppressor, who is mounted on horseback, after Tell 
has shot the apple on his boy's head, the boy holding the apple 
with the arrow in it, and the mother clasping him to her breast. 

Another represents the liberator as he has sprung upon the 
shore from Gessler's boat. 

The other represents the oppressor falling from his horse in 
the forest, with an arrow sticking in his breast, while in the 
distance stands the liberator, holding the empty crossbow. 
The pictures are heroic and striking. The artist is Struckel- 
berg of Bale. 

We climbed the hill again to the Axenstrasse, leaving the 
story of Tell for others to tell, and took up our march again to 
Fluelen. Soon we came to a characteristic Swiss scene. On 
the side of the hill was a little patch of ground, inclosed with a 
wall. It was possibly sixty by eighty feet, and in one end was 
a little patch of potatoes. These had been dug and were scat- 
tered over the ground. 

The potatoes a wonaan was gathering, while frolicking about 
were eight children, boys and girls, the oldest being a girl, I 
should say ten or eleven years old. What the wall was around 
the patch for, we could not make out, for down the mountain 
side pell-mell came a flock of goats, led by a patriarchal look- 
ing goatess, who wofe a tinkling bell, and who sprang on to the 



250 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

wall and into the inclosure, followed by the rest of the herd, 
and all commenced to vigorously eat the potato vines, and to 
sample everything else in sight. 

My partner immediately found out she was hungry for goat's 
milk, and by a few pantomimic gestures, such as pointing to the 
goats and motioning as though she was drinking, one of the girls 
understood what was wanted, and flew to the cottage for a tumbler. 

Then a race commenced between one of the girls and the 
old goatess, which ended in her ladyship being caught and 
held, while the woman soon filled the tumbler with frothing 
milk. My partner dropped some centimes in the hand of the 
girl, drank the milk, which she pronounced good, and we trudged 
on. Soon we heard a plaintive kind of call, and on looking up 
saw high above us, standing in a row looking down on us, the 
black and white faces of some more goats. They undoubtedly 
were used to receiving attentions which were agreeable from 
people, and thought they would ask us, but they were high up 
among the rocks. 

We saw a number of people who were coming down out of 
the hills and rocks, carrying bundles of twigs, which they had 
gathered for firewood. 

Finally, as we were descending into the town of Fluelen, we 
saw the boat push out from the quay, and for another one we 
were compelled to wait for an hour and a half, until five- twenty. 
We walked about and looked at the little town and found a 
shoe shop. In it my partner went to have an operation per- 
formed on her shoe, which was hurting her. The little shop 
was not big enough to hold me too, hence I remained outside 
and watched a mess of children frolicking about a fountain of 
running water. They behaved exactly as American children do, 
and some of them I thought needed switching. 

At last we were on the boat and it was rapidly shortening 
the distance to Lucerne. 

To land at the several towns and landing-places, kept us zig- 
zagging back and forth across the lake, affording us near and far 
views of the mountains and things of interest. 

As we would approach a landing-place one of the officers of 
the boat would take position near where the gangway would be 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 2^1 

put out and keep the people back until all was in readiness, 
then he would say, " Ausgang," and when all had ausgang who 
wanted to, he would say, " Eingang," and those who wanted to 
would come on board. 

Penally darkness reached us, and interest in the beauties of 
the trip necessarily centered in the memories of the delightfully 
interesting day, and in the lights of Lucerne, and those on the 
surrounding mountains. At seven-forty-five we left the boat, 
and soon were at home and at supper. 

We remember the charming finished landscape of the English 
lakes with sweet memory ; like that which lingers after you 
have sat and feasted on a great painting of a pleasant subject. 

With weird Killarney is associated the memory of the un- 
happy country. 

The memories and interests of the Rhine are spread over 
the hills and castles and the legends. 

But Lucerne is magnificence par excellence. It has all the 
magnificence of the others magnified. Their grandest is simply 
Lucerne's grandeur. In comparison vi'ith the magnificent 
grandeur of Lucerne, the rest are not in the race. 

Its magnificence is unique and eccentric. The ingredients 
and parts are tasteful, magnificent, and enormous. The com- 
bination is superlative, and in the presence of Lucerne the rest 
must stand with uncovered heads. 

To-morrow we will ascend Rigi. 



LETTER XXIX. 

Lucerne, September 17//^, 1894. 

We left the pension this morning at nine o'clock. My partner 
went to the post-office to mail some letters, and I to the bank 
after others. 

I found several there, among them one from home of the 5th. 
Then we went to the boat-landing and boarded the boat which 
goes to Fluelen, our destination by boat being Weggis at the 
foot of Mountain Rigi. 



252 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

In speaking of the Rigi in the last a mistake was made. The 
height was said to be fifty-five hundred and fifty -five feet. This is 
misleading ; the Rigi includes a group of mountains twenty-five 
miles in circumference, several of which are called Rigi. For 
instance, Rigi First, Rigi Rothstock, Rigi Kulm, and perhaps 
others. It was one of these that I gave the height of, and it 
was not the highest part of the mountain. 

Another mistake was made in stating that the railway to as- 
cend the Rigi started from Gersau, I should have said Vitsnau. 
We don't want any of you to be misled by these errors when 
you come to climb the Alps, hence these corrections. Rigi 
Kulm is the highest point of the Rigi, and it is fifty-nine hun- 
red and five feet above the sea, and forty-four hundred and 
seventy feet above the water of Lake Lucerne. 

Our objective point when we disembarked to-day at Weggis, 
pronounced " Veggis," was Rigi Kulm, where we went on foot. 
At half-past ten we were in the little village, which fills a small 
cove under cover of the big mountain, and we walked through 
it, declining, the services of several guides who wanted jobs, and 
declining to buy Alpine staffs, which were offered by several 
people, who said they were cheap. Soon we were on the side 
of the mountain, ascending by a steep path. This path used 
to be a bridle-path, but since the completion of the railroad the 
ascent and descent is only made by pedestrians and by rail. 

A hundred or two feet ahead of us was a party of five young 
people, three ladies and two gentlemen. We followed them and 
very soon came to a place where the path apparently became 
three paths, each appearing as likely to be the right one as 
either of the others. We followed the people ahead until we 
began to doubt the correctness of the route, and we concluded 
that we were following a dry water-course, and not the traveled 
path. It was very hard to find any evidences, for the route was 
covered with small stones and gravel, on which no tracks would 
be left, but on looking for the marks of x\lpine staffs, we con- 
cluded that they too were not to be seen, so finally we decided 
to return to the place of three branches of the road, and take 
one of the others. 

We concluded we must not influence the other people, as we 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 253 

were entirely uncertain ourselves. Well, after following the 
other road for some minutes, we came to a place where there 
were not so many stones, but patches of earth, then we saw the 
marks of the spikes of the Alpine staffs, and the tracks of 
small shoes along with those of the enormous heavy-nailed shoes 
which the peasants wear, and we knew we were in the route of 
the tourists. Soon, too, we came out of the timber, and from 
among the rocks, and found ourselves winding among fields of 
grass and trees loaded with plums and pears, and occasionally 
we would pass people to whom we would say, " Rigi } " and 
point in the way which we were going. We would get the an- 
swer " Yah, yah," and we knew we were all right. 

For an hour and a half the climb was very interesting. The 
ascent was not very steep, and we were much interested in the 
little farms of the peasants, their homes, and the things about 
us. Then, too, the beautiful views were becoming more and 
more beautiful as we ascended higher and higher above the 
lakes and valleys and towns. 

Gradually we saw that we were nearing the cloud-line. When 
we embarked on the boat, there were strong indications of a 
rainy day, and as we were extremely desirous of sunshine, we 
viewed with distrust the heavy thick clouds, which apparently 
hung over the whole world. We had not yet seen the sun, or 
•any break in the clouds, but as they were above us we had as 
.unbroken views as on any heavy day when there is not any 
fog. 

Quite suddenly, requiring but a few paces of distance, we 
stepped from the open atmosphere to within the cloud-line, and 
the world was lost to us, save that we walked on its surface. 
We were enveloped in dense mist, which was just as near being 
rain as it possibly could be and not be the real thing. It 
settled on us until our clothes were damp, and until it was like 
beads on my mustache and on our hair. We could only see 
but a few yards about us, and as there was not any wind, we 
concluded that the condition would not be likely to change 
until we would get above the clouds. 

About this time we left the habitations, and the road became 
much more steep, and the walking much harder. Much of the 



2 54 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

way led along by precipices hundreds of feet high, then there 
would be steep inclines on which were forest trees. Some 
places the path would be eight or ten feet wide, on one side being 
the precipice, while on the other would be the wall of rock hun- 
dreds of feet above us. Occasionally we would pass little huts 
which have been built for the accommodation of travelers in 
case of storm. In one place we saw, blocking the path above 
us, a queer-looking little building with covered entrance, and 
grated wdndows, and on coming to it, we found it to be a little 
chapel. We looked through the grated- windows and saw a 
highly ornamented altar, and the walls ornamented with pictures 
representing scenes in the life of the Lord. 

I paced two sides of the little building, and made the size to 
be about eighteen by twenty-four feet, yet I should think it 
plenty large enough for the people who live near enough to 
attend church there. 

Gradually, but surely, we saw that the route became steeper 
and more rocky, and harder to ascend, requiring our stopping 
to rest very frequently. We felt that it would not be well to 
stop but a minute or two at a time, because we were warm, 
caused by the exertion, and immediately on stopping we would 
feel the atmosphere to be cold and damp. Then, too, we 
noticed that, as we progressed, we were compelled to breathe 
harder and faster. When we passed the Halfway House, new 
vigor appeared to come, but alas ! it was not lasting, for while 
we were stopping for a little rest, we heard heavy footsteps 
coming up the path, and breathing not unlike the puffing of a 
small steamer, and soon arrived a gentleman whom we had 
passed at the Halfway House, where he had been having some 
bread and cheese. 

He said he had climbed Rigi several times, and while the 
Halfway House was half in distance, it was not near half when 
the difference in the kind of road was considered. We went 
on, and soon after that I made a resolution, and, my dear rel- 
atives and friends, I don't believe it will be broken. It reads 
thus : " I will climb no more mountains." 

We tugged on, stopping every five minutes to breathe and 
rest our knees, until, finally, we left many of the rocks behind 



EUROPE FROM IVIAY TO DECEMBER. 255 

us, and were on the side of a steep, grass-covered mountain, 
and there were no trees. About this time we suddenly found 
ourselves in clear, open, but cold atmosphere, and below us 
were the clouds, resembling exactly, as my partner said, *' billows 
of white cotton," hiding from our view everything beneath us; 
but not the Snow Range w^hich towered above us, apparently 
very near and most magnificently grand. Then we appreciated 
the majestic magnificence of the Alps, and we both involuntarily 
exclaimed at it. We tugged on, and finally found ourselves at 
the top, the Kulm. 

Soon the scene changed to one of supreme comfort and 
satisfaction. We were in a comfortable dining-room, with a 
supply of roast beef, vegetables, and bread and butter before 
us. It was blissful ! The guide tells us that three and a half 
hours is required to make the ascent of the Rigi, but it took us 
four hours. 

As we stood on the summit, facing south, directly in front of 
us was the Snow Range. It seemed to be very near, I should 
say a mile or two, yet it was thirty miles away. The Snow 
Range is a hundred and twenty miles long, and our position 
seemed to be about midway from end to end, and the whole 
snow-clad range of Alps and glaciers stood before us majestic 
and magnificent, as if immediately at hand. 

Nothing was visible about us but high mountains and clouds. 
Below us, say five hundred feet, everything was obscured from 
view by the clouds. We were deprived entirely of the extraor- 
dinary privilege of seeing the many lakes and cities, and the 
plain, which lay four and a half thousand feet below us. Instead 
of seeing them the sight fell on the unbroken clouds which lay ap- 
parently like folds of white cotton, pleated into different forms. 

Before us, as we stood facing the Snow Range, was the valley 
containing the Lake of Lucerne, and the city, and many towns, 
now filled with the white billowy mass. To our right, appar- 
ently very near, but at least fifteen miles away, towered Pilatus, 
and to our left was another point or two of Rigi, and they, and 
the Snow Range, and the land on which we stood, seemed to 
be all there was of the world. When we turned around, immedi- 
ately at our feet was the north precipitous side of the Rigi, and 



256 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

there seemed to be nothing of the world in that direction, but 
space filled with white clouds. It seemed as though we had 
come to the edge of the earth, and we shuddered to think of the 
possibility of tumbling off and turning over and over as we would 
go down through unmeasured space, and possibly land intact 
among people who wear red clothes and have horns and cloven 
feet. 

While we were in perfectly clear atmosphere, and though all 
objects which extended above the clouds, as described above, 
seemed extremely near and remarkably distinct, the sun was 
not visible all of the time. Above us, some hundreds of feet 
were other clouds floating over, which obstructed the view of 
the sun much of the time. 

The wind blew briskly from the south directly over the Snow 
Range, and was so cold, that though I was warmly clad, and 
wore an ulster overcoat, and my partner her cloth-jacket and 
furs, it seemed like a cold winter day does at home. The wind 
had the peculiar wintry feeling that it does at home on a clear 
cold winter day when the ground is covered with snow. The 
only thing inconsistent with a winter day in Chicago was the 
green grass about us. 

On the summit, and the steep grassy incline immediately be- 
low it, are a number of hotels and restaurants, some little shops 
where gewgaws are sold, a telegraph and telephone station, post- 
office, and railway station, etc. 

We walked about and viewed the extraordinary scene thor- 
oughly, and photographed it in the memory. At five-twenty the 
car went down the incline railway, and we patronized it. 

On the car were the young people, of whom the letter tells 
of our seeing in the morning. They got separated on the 
mountain, and some of them were lost and had much trouble to 
find their way. They were finally put right by the people of a 
peasant cottage, and reached the summit a tired community, 
and but a few minutes before the departure of the car. We 
came near having the same experience, at least to being on the 
same road. 

It took an hour and twenty minutes to come down on the car. 
The guide tells us that the distance by the mountain railway is 



EUROPE. FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 257 

four and a half miles. I think it very conservative to say that 
the route we went up was eight miles. At eight o'clock we were 
at home, and now you have our story of Rigi Kulm. 

Wednesday night, September 19th : — Yesterday we did not 
do anything of much mention. We walked about the streets 
some, and did some shopping of our kind, which, as I have ex- 
plained, consists chiefly of walking from shop to shop and look- 
ing in the windows. One of the things to see in Lucerne is the 
Lion of Lucerne. A noted work in the sculptural way. It is the 
figure of a dying lion cut in a rock on the side of one of the 
hills, twenty-eight feet long. The lion is dying from the effect 
of an arrow which is sticking in its side, and is a very impres- 
sive representation of the king of beasts, with his eyes closed 
for the last time, and was designed by Thorwaldsen. It is a 
monument to the memory of twenty-six officers and seven 
hundred and sixty soldiers of the Swiss Guards, who fell in the 
defense of the Tuileries, August loth, 1792. It does not cost 
anything to see it. 

From our pension, leading up the hill, with easy ascent, is a 
path. For some distance it goes through woods, I should say 
fully a half mile, when it emerges into cultivated farm-land, 
there being orchards, and meadows, and fields of vegetables. 
There are some hotels and pensions about, and it is a pretty 
place overlooking the city, and lakes, and valleys. It is a 
.favorite place, with the people of our house, to stroll. My 
partner and I loitered over it for a couple of hours, and enjoyed 
the woods and country. We noticed in some places that the 
trees stand in rows, showing that they have been planted by man. 
We met a boy, a little fellow, who stopped us and spoke. We 
were interested in him, and judged him to be a peasant boy 
going to the city on an errand. His clothes were undoubtedly 
his Sunday ones. We could not understand him, which he 
saw, so he pointed to my watch. I took it out, opened it, and 
held it before him. He read at a glance the time, touched his 
hat, said "Tank yea; adieu," and passed on. It was most 
genteel and courteous, yet the heavy nailed shoes, and coarse, 
though comfortable clothing, said that the lad's home was on 
the mountain-side. 
17 



258 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

To-day at the lunch-table my right-hand neighbor, whom I 
have introduced to you as being from the Emerald Isle, said to 
me, " Do you intend making any excursions to-day, Mr. Wil- 
liams .? " "Yes, madam, we are going up the Burgenstock." 
" Oh ! how lovely that will be ! How delighted I am that you 
have such a superb day for it." " It is a most superb day, to 
be sure." " A most magnificent place to go, is the Burgenstock, 
and I know you will be charmed ; the views are perfectly ex- 
quisite." 

At two o'clock we left the house and went to the boat-land- 
ing. Soon the boat was there, and in about a half an hour we 
were at the foot the mountain. From the boat-landing at the 
foot of the mountain the ascent is made on an incline railway, 
which rises fifty-three feet to the hundred. Agentleman remarked 
the other day that it was like going in a balloon. By it we are 
lifted fourteen hundred and thirty-five feet, and then we walk 
up a steep ascent, much of the way over rocks and under trees, 
for one hour to Hammetschwand, and then we are twenty-three 
hundred feet, above the water of the lake. 

On the top, on the side on which is the lake, a stone platform 
is erected, which projects over the precipice, around which is a 
railing, and there are some seats there, where you can sit and 
see the boats directly under you. 

The conditions differed from those of Monday, when we were 
at Rigi Kulm, in that the valleys were entirely clear of clouds, 
and things not very far away were .perfectly, distinctly seen, 
while those in the distance, the Snow Range for instance, were 
obscured from view by haze or smoke. We were allowed in 
in this case what we lacked Monday, yet under quite different 
circumstances, as Rigi Kulm is more than two thousand feet 
higher than Hammetschwand. I am of the opinion, however, 
that we did not lose anything, for we conclude that the altitude 
of the Rigi is too high to admit of the view of the valley being 
very distinct any time. Undoubtedly, lakes and towns can be 
seen which cannot be seen from Hammetschwand. 

Directly across the lake in front of us, as we stood on the 
platform, or sat on the seats, stood Rigi, and very plain, stand- 
ing high ill the sky, could we see the hotel at Kulm, where we 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 259 

lunched, and winding among the trees and rocks, we occasion- 
ally had glimpses of the path up which we tugged. 

To our left and westward towered Pilatus, seven thousand 
feet high, blocking the view of the receding sun, and casting a 
shadow over the lake and valley for miles, and which was slowly 
extending. His outline was clear cut, and apparently formed 
in geometrical lines, with the red glow of the sun for background 
making a castellated appearance. When we turned our back on 
these things, there stretched to the south in front of us a valley, 
which was, say, twelve hundred feet beneath, devoted to farms, 
and the things belonging to them, green fields, orchards, and 
farm-buildings. Scattered about over the valley were small 
herds of cows and goats, from which came the tinkle of many 
bells, to which was frequently added the Lorelei of the light- 
hearted peasants. It was a scene of the country, lovely ! 
lovely ! 

We walked about and engraved it all plainly in the memory, 
and then walked down the crooked stony path to the lower 
plateau where the hotels are, and sat down by a table which 
commanded the view of the towers of Pilatus and the lake and 
Lucerne, and had some luncheon. We had with us a lady from 
the pension who is very intelligent, having read and traveled 
much, and who is a very agreeable companion. I think my 
partner enjoyed very much the break in the monotonous repeti- 
tion which we have been having so long. 

Finally the time came for the car to go down the mountain, 
and we were soon down, when the boat came and brought us 
home. 

We had decided that before leaving Lucerne, we would go up 
and spend a night oh Pilatus, but as we have done quite well 
seeing mountains, and as there are others that we will want to 
see, we have concluded not to do so. And then — and then — 
there is another little reason, it would cost zwolf thaler. 

We have investigated Mont Blanc, and find to ascend it and 
return will take three days, and cost one hundred dollars for 
two. We will pass without Mont Blanc, save to see some of 
its lower portions. 

Our stay here has been extremely enjoyable. Everything 



26o EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

about it has been right, and we regret much that we must go 
away, but we must, else we will feel some time that we did not 
do things which we ought to have done. 

We go to-morrow to Interlachen. It is Thursday the 20th, 
eleven a. m. 



LETTER XXX. 

Interlachen, September 21st, 1894. 

We were sorry when the time came this morning for us to 
leave the comfortable condition of things which we had so much 
enjoyed for ten days, but the time came and we felt compelled 
to avail ourselves of it. 

Shortly after nine we started down the hill toward the city 
and railway station. Our two hostesses stood on the terrace 
and waved us " good-bye " and hoped us " safe journey," while 
the three dogs stood in a row on the lower terrace and chimed 
in the send-o^. Whether they thought us two tramps against 
whom the premises must be defended, or whether they, too, 
were wishing us " safe journey," I don't know, but there they 
stood and each had his say. The big St. Bernard spoke but 
once, in a voice quite bass ; the watch-dog who sleeps in the 
hall sent his good-bye in a voice more on the tenor order ; 
while the woolly-headed Skye yelped his adieu in tones border- 
ing on the falsetto. One of the hostesses handed my partner a 
bunch of roses as we bade them "good-bye," which she wore 
on her chest with more than ordinary dignity, in fact she looked 
quite well dressed. 

It was but a few minutes until we were seated in the car, and 
at ten o'clock we left Lucerne. Qur route was by the Brunig 
Railway through the Brunig Pass. Immediately after leaving 
Lucerne, the line lay for some miles along the shore of one of the 
arms of the lake. Lucerne, until we came to Alpnach Stad, which 
is the name of the place where people go who want to ascend 
Mount Pilatus. The boats go there as well as the cars, and 
from there the incline railway starts, on which the cars climb 
the mountain. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 261 

On our left was the beautiful lake, two or three of its four 
arms being immediately by us, while the view was obstructed 
by the grand mountains, Rigi and Burgenstock. On our right, 
his base starting nearby where the train was passing, and form- 
ing the side of the narrow valley, was the magnificent mountain, 
Pilatus, with, as is nearly always the case, his head enveloped 
in clouds. Not so with Rigi and Burgenstock : their topmost 
peaks were uncovered and we recalled to mind our pleasant 
visits to them. 

I don't suppose modesty has much to do with Pilatus keeping 
his head covered so much more than do his neighbors. He is 
a thousand feet higher than Rigi, and two thousand feet higher 
than Burgenstock, but he is a grand mountain, and stands out 
so clearly and boldly. He and Rigi are called the Northern 
Sentinels of the Alps. 

It is said of Pilatus, to account for his name, that the death 
/ of Pontius Pilate was by suicide in the lake here. 

As we looked back over the valley we could see plainly 
Gibraltar, as the hill is called, on which stands Pension Suter, 
and plainly, too, the pension, our last home. It was some like 
leaving home to say adieu to these things which, during our 
short stay, had become so familiar to us, and among which we 
had been so happy. 

For some miles after leaving the end of the arm of the lake 
at Alpnach Stad, we ran through a beautiful valley occupied 
with fields, which are cultivated and cared for to the most 
exquisite degree of perfection, and with orchards laden with 
fruit. 

Soon we commence to ascend, and before long the ascent is 
so steep as to require a locomotive fitted with cog-wheel to run 
in cogs between the rails. Then the train is divided into two 
pieces, there being two cars for each locomotive, and thus we 
climb the mountain to the Pass. 

On our left is the wall of the mountain, while on our right is 
a valley with farms, villages, and lakes. On the opposite side of 
the valley, which is narrow, tower other mountains, in many 
places their sides being covered with cultivated land, and on 
which stand, seemingly but a few rods apart, the homes of the 



262 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

peasants. It was a source of much surprise to me to see that 
so many people live where the available land is only in what 
may well be called mere patches. Yet their houses were so 
many, and so close together, as to resemble a scattered town, 
and this condition continued for miles. 

Slowly we wound around and up the mountain, frequently 
running through tunnels, and frequently along the side of the 
abyss hundreds and hundreds of feet above any stopping place, 
if we should fall off. 

At Brunig we arrived at twelve-thirty, and had luncheon. 
Brunig is situated in what is termed the saddle, or crest, of the 
Pass, and has an altitude of thirty-two hundred and ninety-five 
feet. Running near the railway, much of the time in view from 
the train, is the old Brunig road, and near to Brunig Station is 
the old Brunig Pass. The place is surrounded with mountains 
from six to eight thousand feet high, and is very grand and 
romantic. 

Immediately after leaving Brunig the descent is commenced, 
and seems much shorter than the ascent, owing to the steeper 
grade. If possible for it to be so, I think the scenery is grander 
than on the Lucerne side of the mountain ; it is more rugged, 
and we have in view the Snow Alps. 

At the foot of the mountain we stop some minutes at Meirin- 
gen, and thence our course is down the valley on the right bank 
of the river Aare, a little, very swift-running river, about fifty 
feet wide, which is confined in the present narrow limits by 
walled sides. 

This valley is narrow. I estimate the width to be a half 
mile much of the distance that we traverse it. It is walled 
with mountains, the sides of which are perpendicular much of 
the way. Constantly we are passing little cascades, which are 
formed by small brooks falling over the precipice hundreds of 
feet. 

It is but a few miles from Meiringen to Brienz, located at 
the north end of Lake Brienz, where the cars connect with a 
boat which lands the passengers at Interlachen, at the other end 
of the lake, nine miles. 

We did not go by the first boat to Interlachen, but left it at 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 263 

the first landing-place, which is directly across the lake from 
Brienz, to see the Falls of Giessbach. These falls are formed 
by a stream which is now about ten feet wide, falling over suc- 
cessive precipices on the north slope of the Schwarzhorn 
Mountain. There are seven of the cascades, the fall of the 
greatest one, it being the one highest up the mountain, is one 
hundred and ninety feet. The top of this fall is eleven hun- 
dred and forty-eight feet above the lake. 

Paths lead up the mountain-side on both sides of the gulch 
down which the stream falls, and several bridges cross it, one 
of which passes under one of the falls. The paths are under 
trees, and are rough and rocky. 

Three years ago my partner -went part way up, but being 
alone and short of time, did not go the entire distance. Yester- 
day we went all the way, the ascent requiring fifty minutes 
hard tugging. 
Z' An incline railroad goes up about three hundred feet to a 
little cove or plateau in the side of the mountain, which can- 
not be seen until you are right at it. It is a most beautiful 
little place, occupying about one and a half acres, where there 
is a fine hotel and a hydropathic establishment. 

Sometime before the hour for the boat, five o'clock, which we 
intended to take to Interlachen, we were down again at the land- 
ing from the climb by the falls, resting and enjoying the dreamy 
beautiful scene. The boat came on time, quickly landed, and 
" quickly moved off. Soon we had traversed the beautiful lake, 
and at six o'clock were in Interlachen. 

In the way of weather the day was perfect, enabling us to see 
well the things to be seen, and we enjoyed every minute of it. 

Lake Brienz differs from Lucerne in that it is not nearly as 
large, and not nearly so beautiful. Its walls are very high, 
higher, I think, than Lucerne, but they have not the fine color- 
ing, the gray rocks vastly overcoming all else. It seems like a 
basin in the rocks, and that is what it is. It is nine miles long, 
one and a half wide, and five hundred feet deep. To ride on it, 
and stand with head thrown back and gaze at the walls which 
sur-round it, is awe inspiring. 

Sunday, September 23d : — Yesterday morning we went 



264 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

first to the banker's office for letters which we did not get. 
We were delayed some minutes until they sent to the post-office. 
We said to the gentleman that we thought of walking to Lau- 
terbrunnen, " Oh ! " he said, "it is a long way, and will take 
you three or four hours, and you will be tired." We asked him 
the way. He said, " Go by that road between those mountains ; 
it goes through the gorge and is very beautiful." We asked, 
*' Can we come back by train ? " " Yes, you can do that." 

It was exactly nine-thirty when we left the banker's office and 
took the road directed, and stood before the opening between 
mountains, while straight before, looming high above all else, 
directly in front of us, was magnificent Jungfrau. It is very 
hard to look at her majesty and realize that you are seeing a 
mountain of rock and earth. You seem to be looking at a mount- 
ain of chalk. 

Neighboring mountains, which are not as high, cover the 
lower portion, hence what you see is all snow-white, and the ef- 
fect is as of one very high mountain of chalk, surrounded by 
other mountains half as high, or less, they being mountains of 
rock and earth, with patches of trees and grass. 

Soon we come to the opening between the mountains, and a 
directing-post with four arms, one of which pointed to the open- 
ing and has on it these words : 

" Wilderswyl. 
Lauterbrunnen. 
Grindelwald." 

We went on in the direction in which the arm pointed, and 
soon the road was very crooked and narrow, immediately about 
us being fine trees and immense rocks, while near on both sides 
rose the precipitous sides of the mountains. 

At a distance of a mile or less we emerged from the forest 
into a lovely valley, which was there a half mile or less in 
width. The forest-covered pass, which we have now left, is 
called the Wagnerenschlucht. Immediately on our right is the 
ruin of Unspunnen, while on our left is a hotel and restaurant, 
and a little farther a sugar-loaf shaped hill with trees, called 
Kleine Rugen. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 265 

Farther to the left again is Lake Brienz. Soon we came to a 
village which straggles along on both sides of the road for a 
half of a mile, in some places the houses which line the two 
sides being so near together that the width of the road will 
barely admit of the passing of teams. The Swiss houses are 
strung along the two sides of the road without any thought of 
order, usually with their gables to the road, and their very wide 
eaves adding an air of comfort to them. 

These houses are made of rough lumber, and are entirely 
without paint, or any attempt at ornamentation or embellish- 
ment, save that the boards and shingles will frequently be cut 
and scalloped into odd shapes. Sometimes a row of houses 
standing right by the road will consist of a dwelling, barn, and 
likely a workshop of some kind or a little store. Then there 
may be a patch of land, and then another domicile and things 
pertaining to it. 
''"^ About the dwellings and other buildings will be hanging, 
under the eaves, or on the walls, and piled about, vegetables, 
fruits, and firewood ; all curing for future use, but all handled 
and cared for with scrupulous care and order. You see all the 
time evidences of the extreme economy that is practiced by the 
peoplp. Absolutely everything is put to use. I noticed that 
the potatoe vines, after the potatoes were dug, were carefully 
gathered and taken under shelter for some future use, perhaps 
bedding for live stock. 

In some places on the mountain-side little patches of weeds 
and thistles will grow. While these are green they are cut and 
cured for food for the goats. 

You will meet frequently a woman walking between the shafts 
of a very large hand-cart, with a rope over her shoulders by 
which she pulls, and beside her will walk a big dog, who will 
also be harnessed to the cart, and will be doing his part of the 
work. The cart will sometimes be filled with potatoes or other 
vegetables, which they will be bringing home from a distant 
patch where they have grown, or it may be loaded with twigs 
which have been picked up on the mountain sides, or perhaps 
it will be piled high with cured weeds and thistles. 

Occasionally you will come to a little girl, who will be sitting 



266 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

by the side of the road, making lace. She will be a little thing, 
usually with light hair, which will be parted straight in the 
middle, and combed down so smooth that it will shine as if 
held with mucilage. She will be scrupulously clean, and will 
have something white about her neck, and the pittance she will 
ask for a bunch of lace, will cap the climax. You drop the 
coin, slip the lace in your pocket, and walk on, when lo ! you 
find you have done it. About you will swarm more juvenile 
members of the family, three or four of them, who will trot 
along, holding up their chubby hands saying " Centimes, cent- 
imes. " You cannot help laughing at them, and drop some 
centimes in the hand of the smallest of the gang, who is about 
as wide as tall, and yet they come on, still chorusing " cen- 
times." You turn on them quickly, and sternly say, " Nein ! 
nein ! " and they vanish like frightened quails. 

There are very few beggars in Switzerland, and what there 
are are little tads who don't count. 

Let me see, where was I ? Yes, I was writing about the 
village. There are two or three fountains of running water in 
the village, and are made by bringing the water down from the 
mountain sides in pipes, and it flows out of stone columns 
which are about a foot square, and six feet high. They resem- 
ble the town pump, with which all are familiar, save that there is 
not any handle. The clear cold water will flow from spouts, 
sometimes two of them to one fountain, in a strong stream an 
inch in diameter, and will fall into immense stone troughs. 
About these will be standing people who will be washing 
dishes, woodenware, vegetables, and clothing, or all. 

You pass fountains of this kind along the road frequent- 
ly, but they are always unsupplied with a cup. To get a drink 
you must apply at the neighboring house for a glass, and to be 
understood, you must do the pantomime act. 

We were soon through the village, and found on our left a 
narrow, very swift-running river, by which the road was much 
of the time, and on the opposite side of which ran the railroad. 

The road is as smooth and hard as any of our boulevards, as 
about all the roads that we have seen in Europe are. It was 
easy walking, though we were steadily ascending, but the ascent 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 267 

was so gradual as to add but little to the labor of walking, if 
walking, by people who are used to it, can be called labor. 

The weather was very threatening, and before starting we 
studied the heavy dense clouds, and feared hard rain, yet we 
decided to go, and started. Soon it began to rain, but very 
lightly, and while it rained much of the time during our tramp, 
it was not hard enough but once, and then only for a few 
minutes, to drive us to shelter, which we found under the wide 
eaves of a barn. 

Steadily as we went on the valley grew more narrow, and 
the mountains higher, and their walls more precipitous. Be- 
fore us all the time was the mighty white monster, spoken of 
earlier, which would be visible through openings, and which 
would become revealed by bends in the gorge. Sometimes it 
would seem that a few rods more would bring us to the end 
j6f the gorge, and an end to the road, but as we progressed we 
would see that both continued, and by a sharp turn w^ould 
pass between two immense promontories of rock which seemed 
to threaten danger. The tinkle of the bells of the goats, 
which before had been in the distance and came to us from 
the sides of the mountains, were now all about us, as were the 
goats themselves. Though climbers that they are, the steeps 
here are too much for them, and they are compelled to nibble 
the grass and weeds at the foot of the mountains, and by the 
roadway. 

Occasionally we would come to boys who were gathering 
from among the goats individual ones, which they would drive 
along with us in little lots of from five to eight, until they would 
come to their home in the valley or on the mountain side. They 
carried large pouches of milk, indicating that they supply it 
liberally. 

At last we came to where the gorge split, and one like the 
one which we were traveling led off to the left between mountains 
high and steep like ours. The railroad also branched off, one 
of the branches following the other gorge. There was a railway 
station and a cluster of two or three cottages. 

A directing-post stood there withthree arms, one of w^hich 
pointed back in the direction from which we had come, and one 



268 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

pointed to the new gorge, while the other one pointed in the 
direction of Jungfrau along the gorge where we were walking, 
and read as follows : 

" Lauterbrunnen 4. IK. M. 

Vue Sur le Jungfrau 
Incomparable." 

When translated it means, that we were four and one-tenth 
kilometers from Lauterbrunnen, which, when put into miles, 
means about two and a half, and that we would have an in- 
comparable view of Jungfrau. 

Immediately after the ascent became much more steep, and 
the walking harder. Here, also, the railroad crossed to our side 
of the river, and now runs along between the wagon-road and 
stream. The water rushed and roared over the rocks almost 
as though it was a real cataract. Frequently we crossed dry 
gorges which led from the river up into the mountains, in the 
beds of which would lay immense boulders, which told that at 
times those now dry beds are raging torrents. 

We tugged on, occasionally pausing to imprint in the memory 
the picture of some particularly striking thing, or to drink some 
cool water, when finally our walk, likis everything else with which 
man has to do, came to an end by our arrival at Lauterbrunnen. 

Lauterbrunnen is a village with a few hundred people and 
some little shops, in which they sell wood-carvings cheap. My 
partner and I were certain that we saw the same carved bear, 
and bunch of game, and tree full of monkeys, that were in the 
Exposition. 

From here mountain railroads start which go up the mountains 
in two different directions. It was our intention to go up them, 
but- we saw that it would be useless, as the mountains in those 
directions were covered with clouds. 

Beyond the village we could see the cascade Staubbach, and 
went down and had a look at it. It is at this time of the year a 
very small brook, which flows over the precipice, and falls un- 
broken nine hundred and eighty feet. In winter the valley of 
Lauterbrunnen does not get the sun until noon. 

We now see how truthfully the directing board spoke. How 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 269 

really incomparable is Jungfrau ! When in the distance she 
looked to be a mountain of chalk, our closer proximity divulges 
her glaciers, and we gaze at mountains of clear ice. We will 
see more of this and will come here by railroad from Grindel- 
wald over the Wengernalp. 

I have written so many nice things of Pilatus, Rigi, Burgen- 
stock, and others, which I don't want to gainsay, that I cannot 
fairly express myself about Jungfrau ; yet when you stand in the 
presence of her mightiness, her thirteen thousand, six hundred 
and seventy feet, the rest seem like children. 

We have frequently noticed that during a tramp like this one, 
we become possessed with a kind of longing sensation which, 
as we go on, increases until it becomes a real desire to possess, 
and is accompanied with the sense that there is a growing 
cavity some place round about in the vicinity. These sensa- 
tierfis rapidly disappear when we have arrived at the end of our 
journey and apply roast beef, bread and butter, potatoes, milk, 
beer, Schweizer kase, and a few simple things of that kind. 
Then there is another thing about this, the application of the 
remedy is so agreeable. We take great pleasure in recommend- 
ing it to *11 of you. 

About the next thing that we did in Lauterbrunnen was to 
apply this remedy, and we did it thoroughly. 

As the clouds did not lift, and as the patronizing of mount- 
ain railroads amounts to something financially important, we 
decided that there was nothing more for us to do but return to 
Interlachen, and learning that there would not be a train for 
some time, we concluded that we would walk, at least to the first 
station. We started, and as we felt rested and strong after our 
good lunch, and as the ascent was changed to descent, we went 
on briskly and easily and did not stop at the first or second 
station. 

At four o'clock we were back in Interlachen and had walked 
eighteen miles. 

Shortly after our return, the rain, which had been with us 
lightly all day, increased until it rained hard, and I heard it 
several times during the night, and to-day it rained hard until 
church-time, when it ceased, allowing my partner and other 



2/0 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

good people to go to church. It does not rain now, and 
occasionally the sun shines from between the clouds, and 
converts the chalky look of Jungfrau into a sparkling mass of 
crystal. My partner, who is writing at another table where 
she can see the young lady when she looks up, has just called 
me there to have a look. 

We go to-morrow to Grindelwald, from where we will make 
some of the mountain excursions, and see some of the glaciers. 
We will return here in two or three days. Thence to Geneva, 
stopping once or twice in route for very short stops. We ex- 
pect to be in Geneva a week from to-day. 

The next will tell you of our doings about Grindelwald. 



LETTER XXXI. 

Grindelwald, September 2^th, 1894. 

When we prepared for the business on hand this morning, 
we prepared for marching and climbing. You will undoubtedly 
call to mind a resolution which w^as quoted in one of my recent 
letters. It was a resolution formed during the trip up Rigi, 
and if you remember it, you will be at a loss to harmonize what 
will be written here with it ; but, my dear relatives and friends, 
you all know how unhappy are the results of many good 
resolutions, and we hope you will conclude charitably. We 
may as well be frank and own up that we have broken the 
resolution. 

We told our landlady that we would be away for two, three, 
or four days, and left the house in Interlachen at nine o'clock. 
The banker told us that he had one letter, which he produced. 
It proved to be from London, telling us that three letters had 
been forwarded to Lucerne the same day that our instruction to 
send letters to Interlachen had been received. They will be 
forwarded from Lucerne, and undoubtedly will be in Interlachen 
on our return. 

We found that wehad time to catch, the train for this place, 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 27 1 

by luirrying, consequently could not mail, in Interlachen, the 
letters which we had with us, but carried and mailed them 
here. This will account for the postmark Grindelwald being 
on letters which you will know were written in Interlachen. 

Although the distance from Interlachen here is but twelve 
miles, it takes an hour and a half to do it by train. If you ask 
why it takes so long, you will be told that it is because the 
grade is so great. That of course is a reason, but I think a 
greater one is because that is the way they do everything in 
this slow country. 

The railroad is the one along by which we walked in our 
walk to Lauterbrunnen, described in the last. If you remember, 
you will know that the letter spoke of a place where another 
valley led off to the left, in which was a branch of the railway. 
We came that way, and much of the distance from that point 
the road was supplied with the cog system, and the locomotive 
was a climber. 

Slow country ? Well, I should say so ! And why should it 
not be so .? It is to their interest to be slow ; there is not any 
commerce, under which pressure oomes from other countries. 
The exports are a few watches, a little lace, a little Schweizer 
kase, and a few carved wooden bears. There are no imports 
to mention. The few necessities that the people must have 
the country produces. I have never been in a country where 
•the evidences of so little buying were about us all the time. 
You see it every minute ; in the dress, in the buildings, in the 
tools, and in the operations of the people. 

For instance, we have seen many new dwelling-houses in the 
villages, in the towns, and on the mountain sides, on w^hich the 
clap-boards, of which the roofs are made, will be held on by 
poles being laid along them, and the poles weighted in place 
with big stones, which will be placed three or four feet apart. 
Now, of course, the only thing to gain by this is to save the 
nails with which to nail the clap-boards. 

What would be called good large dwellings will be so made. 
Painted houses are the rare exception, outside of the large towns. 

You cannot help being impressed with the evidences that 
are all the time about you of the great importance which the 



2/2 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

entertainment, attention to, and care of tourists must be in the 
economies of the country. The cities are cities of hotels and 
pensions. The towns are towns of hotels and pensions. The 
mountains and valleys are dotted all over with hotels, pensions, 
and lunch-places, and more are building. 

Frequently, as we are climbing the mountains, or walking in 
the valleys, we will hear a great explosion, which will echo and 
re-echo beautifully. On inquiring, we will be told that the 
rocks are being blasted to make a path to a glacier, or over a 
mountain, or over some pass. 

Women and children standi in the route of the tourists and 
sell grapes and pears, lace and eidelweisse, while men and boys 
swarm and offer their services as guides. 

Why should the trains go fast and hurry you on ? The 
universal interest is in delay, yet with the many thousands and 
thousands of dollars that the tourists scatter, how the people 
are compelled to economize. 

To-day, in our tramp up the mountain, a thousand or more 
feet above the valley, we came to a man who was chopping 
trees into firewood. The ^ees that he was at work on had 
stood on the steep side of the mountain fifty to one hundred feet 
below the path. He had sawed them down, then had sawed 
them into pieces, which he and others had pulled up to the 
path with a rope, and there he was working them up into the 
desired shape to use ! 

It was being done with the greatest possible care to economy, 
not a particle of the tree being wasted. The sun was shining 
hot, and the perspiration was streaming down us. He was a 
good-looking, and an intelligent-looking man ; T said to him, 
" It is warm ! " " Yah, varm, varm ! " Soon we came to two 
strong-looking men who had wooden frames strapped on their 
backs, which some resembled chairs that might be used to 
carry people up the mountain. My partner finally made them 
understand that she wanted to know what the chair-like things 
were for. They answered " Vood, vood ! " Two or three 
hours after, as we were coming down, we met them much higher 
up the mountain, and the chairs were piled high with the pre- 
pared wood. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 273 

The tourist's season is fast closing. The little shops, filled 
with carvings, and photographs, the mosaics and other jewelry 
from Italy, are closing their doors for the long holiday. The 
yellow, which is fast taking the place of the green of the foliage, 
and which soon will be replaced with the beautiful variegations 
of early autumn foliage, tells us that nature controls the time 
of the happy harvest which comes with the tourist to Switzer- 
land, as it does all other harvests, and that she is, as usual, 
unswerving in her operations. 

Fiddle, fiddle ! I have not written anything, and it is ten 
o'clock. 

Well, we arrived here at eleven o'clock, mailed the letters, 
and at eleven-thirty started for the Lower Glacier. The Lower 
Glacier of Grindelwald is, say a mile or less farther down the 
river than the Upper Glacier of Grindelwald. In one hour we 
hadclimbed along the side of the Mettenberg, and were at the 
lower end of the glacier. We were hungry, and we ate, then 
we paid a half franc each, and started for the Ice Grotto. 

A man and boy went along, but we did not know what for. 
Soon the boy asked if we wanted to hear the echo. We said 
" No," and the lad turned back, but he must have thought we 
did not tell the truth, for immediately I hallooed with all my 
might, and we heard the echo. 

Then we were at the Ice Grotto ; the man preceded, and we 
followed. It is a tunnel, cut into the clear crystal ice, seven 
feet high and six feet wide. It bends and is thirty paces long; 
I paced it. At the inner end is a square chamber eight feet 
high, and eight feet wide, and the same long. There is a table 
there with candles on it. The man lighted them. It is clear, 
crystal, hard, cold ice. We stepped over a crevice about a 
foot wide, and looking up through it saw the blue sky. We 
looked down to — I don't know where, and came out. The man 
asked, or finally made us understand that he wanted to know 
whether we wanted to go over to the glacier. We said " Yes," 
so he started, and we followed. 

The route was by narrow steps cut in the side of the mount- 
ain of ice. The steps led to the top, say fifty-feet, and then 
the route lay along the top of the ice gorge, over the crevices to 
18 



2/4 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

the upper end of t"he ice-filled valley. We went up a few steps, 
concluded that the ice was just as slippery as any other ice, 
looked down into one of the crevices, backed out of the job, and 
came down. My partner wanted to go on, but I said " No," 
and for once carried the day. 

Then another party came up with a guide hired in the town, 
an English gentleman and lady, and they went into the grotto. 
We waited until they came out ; they looked at the steps, tried 
them, came down and asked us if we were going over. We 
said " No." They said " No." The guides expostulated, got 
ropes and ice-axes, showed us that they would cut steps, and 
that they would tie the ropes around the ladies ' waists. 

Then two women-guides came, and they said it was " much 
easy," and " much funny." We did not go, either party. I 
think the guides thought us all cowards, but they wanted to 
earn their three francs each. We had no guide to pay, but the 
Englishman had, for he had hired him to go over the glacier. 

A glacier is different from what I supposed. I supposed in 
summer it would be soft on the outside, kind of slush ice, but 
not so ; it does not melt on the outside. It only melts, to speak 
of, at the bottom, which is caused by the water v/hich comes 
down from the mountains, and makes it warmer about the sides 
and under it. It moves down the valley a little all the time. 
The Ice Grotto which people visited last summer has moved 
down, say about fifty feet, and is somewhat unshapely now, 
owing to the moving of the mass of ice. 

We turned back ; the English people went back to town, and 
my partner and I went back to a path which led up along the 
side of the mountain over the glacier. The valley which is 
occupied by that glacier is narrow. I should think not more 
than one-eighth of a mile on top of the ice. We did not inquire 
how deep the ice was from the top of the glacier to the bottom 
of the valley, but estimating it by the height of the mountain, 
I think it conservative to say, that it must be at least one 
thousand feet at the highest point. 

The mountain on the side of which we walked, and which, as 
I have said, forms one side of the valley, is the Mettenberg, ten 
thousand, one hundred and ninety-seven feet. The one across 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 2/5 

the valley, whose side along the valley is perpendicular, is the 
Eiger, thirteen thousand and forty-two feet. The one which 
blocks the upper end of the valley, and with the other two forms 
a cove there, is the Fiescherhorn, twelve thousand, eight hundred 
and twelve feet. It is one of the highest of the Bernese Alps. 

The figures represent the height above the sea level, but 
if you take off two thousand feet, you will have about the height 
of these mountains above the table-land about them. 

The path, which my partner and I took lies along the side 
of the mountain, from which we had a perfect view of the 
glacier, being directly over it. It is very steep much of the 
way, and in places is hewn out of the rock, and runs along the 
precipice, there being a railing for safety. It was hot on our 
side of the mountain, and we perspired freely as we toiled up. 
But it was very interesting, and afforded us an opportunity to 
learn something about glaciers, something that I knew as little 
about as anything else. 

We came to a young fellow whose business it was to blow an 
Alpine horn when people would come along, allowing them to 
hear the echo and to pay him some centimes. He made soft 
wierd-like sounds, which were echoed back finely by the per- 
pendicular wall of the Eiger. I thought I would try the horn, 
and blew some blasts. The echo answered just the same. My 
partner thought she would try it, and did so, but the horn did 
not respond. She tried again, puffed out her cheeks, making 
her tanned face more red than it usually is, and again sent a 
gust of wind into the old horn, but no sound came, and the echo 
was quiet as death. She could not work the horn, so I was 
ahead again, and I don't think my partner had anything to say 
for fifteen minutes. 

At three-thirty we had arrived at the end of the path, and 
had a commanding view of the upper part of the glacier, and 
the Mer de Glace, which a signboard, down at the starting 
point, told us we would see. Verily it was a sea of ice. The 
cove, formed by the three mountains, was filled well up their 
sides with ice, while all about us were the snow-covered mount- 
ains. 

The wind blew cold and wintry ; we buttoned our wraps 



2/6 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

about us, and yet shivered. We stood and contemplated the 
wintry scene for a time, and then went into the little refresh- 
ment house, ate some luncheon, and got warm. After that we 
went and had another look at the ice, and we think there we 
learned the operations of the glacier. 

Instead of rain, snow falls on the sea of ice, and becomes ice. 
Thawing is steadily going on under the ice, and working away 
the under part, hence the operations of forming, and of being 
consumed, are both taking place all the time. The settling 
down of the enormous monster in the cove forces it down the 
valley, and it is constantly sending off noises like thunder, and 
the reports of guns. Yet it moves very slowly, and while it 
works its way down the valley, and forms the swift-running 
stream of cold water below, there are all the time millions of 
tons pressing above. 

It was four o'clock when we started down the mountain, and 
six-thirty when we reached the hotel in the town. It is cus- 
tomary for people to say they went over the glacier, and to tell 
about going over glaciers. We went over the glacier, but walked 
on the mountain, it is safer. 

Meiringen, September 25 : — We left Grindelwald this morn- 
ing at eight-twenty to walk to this place over the Great Schei- 
degg Mountain. The weather looked threatening, and it rained 
a little, but we went on. The Great Scheidegg is sixty-four 
hundred and thirty feet high. Immediately after leaving the 
little town the path begins to ascend the mountain, and we 
pass near to the upper and lower glaciers. For a couple of 
hours the route is not very steep, but during the last hour and a 
half, until the summit is reached, it is steep and rocky, compel- 
ling us to rest very frequently. The scene on which we look 
as we turn back from the direction in which we are going is 
made up of the glaciers, the snow mountains, and the valley of 
Grindelwald. It is fine, and improves as we ascend. 

At twelve o'clock we have reached the summit, eat dinner, 
and rest a little time. Then we start down the other side. 
Soon we find that there has been rain on that side, and the path 
is muddy and slippery. Soon we get into rough, coarse timber, 
and there are many stones. When we come out of the timber 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 277 

we find ourselves surrounded with fine pasture land, and many 
goats and cattle. 

On our right, quite near, is the Schwarzwald Glacier ; from it 
comes frequently noises like thunder, and we see avalanches of 
ice rushing from it into the valley. We frequently find our- 
selves standing and watching the avalanches, and listening to 
the noise. 

Once we found ourselves by a little hut, and near it a lad 
who was producing the peculiar notes which they produce on 
the Alpine horn for the benefit of the echo. The echo was 
satisfied and repeated the notes very nicely. We were satisfied, 
and I think the little coin which I dropped into the hand of 
the boy satisfied him, so you see we were all satisfied. 

An Alpine horn is about eight feet long. At the end from 
which the sound emerges the diameter is about nine inches, 
and the sides flare out like those of the brass instruments that 
you see in bands. It tapers in size toward the mouthpiece, 
until it is there about an inch and a quarter in diameter. The 
mouthpiece is of metal, and is like that on a brass instrument. 
They are made of wood. Sometimes they are closely wrapped 
with twine to protect them. 

The person who blows them stands on the side of one mount- 
ain, and the horn extends from his mouth down to the ground 
or rock below him, with the opening toward the mountain across 
the valley in which the echo resides. The sound emerges from 
the horn into a wooden box about a foot square, and three or 
four feet long, from which it again emerges and flies across the 
valley to the home of the echo. 

The strongest lunged and the sweetest-toned echoes that we 
have heard are those whose homes are near narrow valleys, 
and in perpendicular walls fifteen hundred or two thousand 
feet high. We have heard a good many, but have not yet seen 
any. We will keep on trying. 

The hotel people in Grindelwald told us that it required six 
hours to go to Meiringen over the Scheidegg. We concluded, 
from past experience, that it would take us longer, as we go 
slowly, therefore we thought we would be about seven hours. 
About half-past two the crooked, stony, and steep path down 



2/8 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

which we were walking brought us to a cove, surrounded on 
three sides by enormous mountains, the third side being a beauti- 
ful valley, slightly descending in the way we were going, and along 
which ran a swift-running stream about forty feet wide. At the 
distance of, say a half mile, both valley and stream were lost to 
our view between mountains and in the timber. I said to my 
partner, "At last we are down," and being by a fountain of 
water we took a drink, and sat down on a bench in the grounds 
of the hotel which was there, to rest, and to enjoy the magnifi- 
cent scene. 

The place is called Rosenlaui. Immediately in front of us 
we had the mountain which we had crossed. A little to our 
left, almost immediately at hand, lay the magnificent glacier, 
Rosenlaui. It is celebrated for the purity of its ice, and well 
it may be, for under the effect of the sun, it is purity itself. 
The ice which forms in the vicinity of St Paul (I think in the 
Mississippi River), out of which they used to build the ce- 
palaces, I think is the finest that I have ever seen. Having 
seen two of the ice-palaces, and being much impressed with the 
beauty of the ice, the glistening blue-tinted ice which lay in the 
gorge before us, and extended up over the sides of the grand 
mountain, immediately called to mind the ice-palaces of St. 
Paul. It was embedded between the grand mountains Well- 
horn and Engelhorn. 

To the left a little farther are the Falls of Rosenlaui. On 
our right, stretching around to the valley through which our 
road ran, and through whicli we were shortly to pass, were other 
grand mountains completing the wall of the cove. We sat 
and enjoyed the wonderful beauty of the place for a time, and 
went on, happy In the thought that the hard part of the journey 
was all over, and that we would soon be in Meiringen. 

The river Reichenbach, which is formed in this cove by the 
several mountain brooks which roar and fall down from the 
glaciers and mountain runs very swiftly, and looks like all the 
rivers in Switzerland. They all look like the water of melted 
ice or snow ; a slight milky look. 

Our path followed along the river, and soon took us through 
pasture lands and a fine herd of cows. The cows in Switzer- 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 279 

land are different in kind from any that I have ever seen. They 
remind me of the Jerseys, though they are larger and darker in 
color. Their bodies are almost mouse-colored, while their noses 
and feet are white ; many of them are white-faced. Their milk 
is used for butter principally, and the milk of the goats makes 
the Schweizer kase. It is used some for butter, but not much : 
to make butter out of it requires operations that are not neces- 
sary with the milk of the cow. 

These little cows, for they are small, are very gentle, and 
have perfect confidence in people, which proves that they have 
kind treatment. They will not trouble themselves to move out 
of your path, and they will come up to the spring and help 
themselves to water before you are through getting your drink. 
My partner made friends with one or two of the herd referred 
to here, by scratching their foreheads. 

When we were out of the cove, and in the valley between the 
mountains, the river dropped down rapidly, until it was much 
below the road, and ran through one of the most beautiful gorges 
in the world, we think. For a long distance we were from 
seventy-five to a hundred feet above it, and it roared around and 
among the most beautiful and largest boulder rocks that I ever 
saw. Great smooth boulders from ten to thirty feet in diame- 
ter. It is as magnificent a specimen of a rocky gorge, with a 
stream in it, that we think possible to find. 

You will remember back some paragraphs that we were con- 
gratulating ourselves on having reached the level of Meiringen, 
and that the hard part of the walk was over. Was it ? — Well, 
I think not ! We descended twenty-five hundred feet after that, 
and along the hardest road to walk over that I ever experi- 
enced. It took us three hours from that time. We reached 
Meiringen at five-thirty, nine hours from Grindelwald. 

Baedecker says, "the time required is six hours," and they 
calculate three miles to an hour of that kind of walking; this 
would make the distance eighteen miles. We could not learn 
the distance, as all such journeys are estimated by the number 
of hours. I don't think though, that it is eighteen miles, but it 
was enough, and we were entirely satisfied that it was no 
more. 



28o EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

We had some supper, and it was not many moments until my 
partner was in another realm than that of the glaciers, water- 
falls, and mountains. I retired reasonably early too. 

Wednesday, September 26th : — Back in Interlachen. We 
found to go from Meiringen to Grimsell Hospice and the Rhone 
Glacier and get back here, would take three days, so we gave it up. 

We left the hotel this morning at nine o'clock, and soon came 
to where the road branched, and there was a board bearing this 
inscription :— 

" Zur Aareschlucht Gorge de I'Aare 
20 minutens von hier (la plus belle 
Gorge de I'Europe) 20 minutes d'ici. 
Langeder Schlucht i % A Km. 
Longueur de la Gorge 1^4 Kilometre." 

It was perfectly plain. We could take our choice of languages, 
and as we did not know either of them, of course it was plain. 
We went on, and soon came to the Gorge of the Aare, paid a 
franc each and went in. It is hardly entitled to the name of 
Gorge, for it is not wide enough. It were better named if called 
the Crevice of the Aare. It looks as though the rocks had split 
apart a few feet. In the bottom, where the river runs very 
swiftly and roars, it is much wider. 

Ten feet above the water a gallery is constructed to the side 
of the rock to walk on ; it is three feet wide, and forty-six hun 
dred and fifty feet long. Much of the distance, as you walk 
along on the gallery, you can touch the opposite wall with your 
hand, and one place, which I paced and found to be sixty paces, 
the width is just that of the gallery. 

Some places you cannot see out up through, and in others 
the two walls are notched like saw-teeth, and look as though 
they would fit tight if they could be pushed together. 

To get up on the surface of the ground, at the upper end of 
the glen or gorge, we had to go up steps some of the way, and 
a zig-zag path the rest. We counted the steps, and estimate 
the number that would be required for the pieces of the path, 
and conclude that it would require five hundred and fifty steps 
to get from the river to the surface of the land. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 28 1 

We were back in the town at eleven o'clock. It was market 
day for live stock, and there was a large quantity of cattle, goats, 
sheep, hogs, etc., and many hundreds of the country people. 
We walked about and among them for an hour, and were much 
interested. 

My partner was particularly interested in a mess of white pigs 
which were lying on some hay in a hand-cart. It is funny about 
pigs never sleeping comfortably ; they always sleep in a pile, 
and the top one is all the time trying to work in under the 
others, hence they are not entirely comfortable. 

We returned here by rail and boat, and as I told of the same 
trip in telling of our trip from Lucerne, will not repeat it. 



LETTER XXXII. 

Interlachen, September 27///, 1894. 

At the banker's office this morning we found home-letter of 
the 12th. We have been advised from London that three 
letters were sent to Lucerne, which we have not received yet. 
We have been expecting them to come here, and hope to have 
them to-morrow. 

After leaving the office of the banker, we rushed to the boat 
landing at the end of Lake Thun, barely having time to get on 
by their putting out the gang-plank for us, after they had taken 
it in. 

Our intention was to go to the old town of Thun at the 
other end of the lake, and return here some time during the 
day. Having read the welcome letter, we decided to change 
our plan for the day, and instead of going to Thun, we con- 
cluded to return to Interlachen and go to the Alpine village of 
Miirren, consequently at the first landing, two and a half miles 
from Interlachen, we left the boat, and by a beautiful road 
along the lake, and under the shadow of the mountain, walked 
back. 

W^e loitered about the town, doing some of our peculiar kind 



282 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

of shopping, lunched, and at two o'clock left for Miirren by 
rail. Miirren is the place we intended to go to, when we 
walked to Lauterbrunnen, but were prevented by the clouds, 
which we knew would prevent the accomplishment of the pur- 
pose of the journey. 

It is located on the side of the Steinberg Mountain, having 
an altitude of fifty-three hundred and forty-eight feet. We were 
influenced to go to-day by the bright sunshine, thinking that 
the view of the glaciers would be good. At Lauterbrunnen 
we left the train and took seats in the car of an incline railroad, 
which lifted us, seemingly, almost straight up. I estimate the 
height to be three thousand feet. Then we took seats in an 
observation car, which ran around the side of the mountain for, 
say two miles, much of the way being by the edge of the 
precipice, which had no bottom to it. 

There is considerable ascent made during these two miles, 
possibly as much as a locomotive can do without being es- 
pecially made for climbing. 

On arriving in Lauterbrunnen we were very much disappointed 
to again see the mountains enveloped in clouds, which during 
the last hour had accumulated, and we feared that again our 
journey might prove fruitless. But we went on, and soon, while 
we sat ascending on the incline road, we could catch glimpses 
of the mountain peaks, and the glaciers, and our hopes revived. 
The glimpses, however, were very sparingly allowed us, for im- 
mediately a frowning, impolite cloud would come along, and 
our delight would be cut off. 

I cannot give you the amount of ascent, per yard or mile, of 
this particular incline railroad, but some of them are three and 
four feet in ten. This one is new, having been built since the 
publication of our Baedecker, but it seemed to be steeper than 
the one up Burgenstock, and it is five and more feet in ten. 

I thought as we sat in the car the effect was like an eleva- 
tor, unless we compared our moving with a stationary thing, 
then we would see that we were not going straight up, other- 
wise we seemed to be. My partner did not seem to mind 
it, but I am always in mortal terror when in one of those 
things. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 283 

Arrived at Miirren, we walked to a prominent place on the 
side of the mountain, where, instead of seeing the mighty Alps 
across the very narrow ravine, or valley, we looked into steam- 
like clouds, and rain commenced to fall. 

Of course, I lost my temper, and was in favor of taking the 
train back immediately, but my partner, as usual, satisfied and 
serene as a June afternoon, said. " Wait awhile," and gave me 
a small broihng for my impatience. Then we went into a little 
pavihon and waited. It was cold and cheerless, and the wind, 
which came over the mountains and glaciers of ice, so near to 
us, brought icy greeting, and we shivered. While I froze out- 
side, I boiled internally, but I kept cool. 

Occasionally the clouds would part and reveal to us a glimpse 
of the concealed glories, then they would close again, and would 
flit along in apparent glee at our dissatisfaction. Several others, 
who were in the car with us, had returned by the train. We 
must now wait for the next train, six- fifteen, and it was then 
four-thirty. About this time my partner made a suggestion, 
which she well knew I would agree to, and that was to have 
some chocolate. We went into the Eiger, and soon had the 
hot chocolate prepared to perfection. We drank the delicious 
draught, and it warmed us and soothed the temper-of the writer ; 
then my partner went out on the veranda to watch for openings 
in the clouds, while I lolled in an easy chair, and moped. I 
went off into a kind of a doze, and dreamed about a big country 
across the sea, where the sun shines all the time, and where 
the mountains are always in view, and where they don't have 
many incline railroads, then I heard, " Come quick, come 
quick!" I flew. Magnificent, magnificent! Aye, more 
than that ; electrifying, is more like it. There stood before us, 
seemingly but a short distance away, in a circle from left to 
right, the magnificent Alps in the order named below, all more 
or less uncovered from the clouds, some entirely so, and while 
the clouds were scattering and moving, they only prevented our 
viewing the unequaled grandeur as a whole. 

Eleven magnificent glaciers lay before us, their lower ends 
being about on a level with our altitude, while they appeared 
to be in great pleats, or waves, up to the sea of ice, from which 



284 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

they had their incalculable supply. Then above them, again, 
were the tops of the grand mountains, resembling great snow 
drifts, save where the. precipitous shape of their rocky sides 
prevented the snow from lying, there would be streaks of gray. 
These are the mountains which make up the panorama : — Eiger, 
Monch, Jungfrau, Silberhorn, Ebnefluh, Mittaghorn, Grosshorn, 
Breithorn, and others in the distance to the right. 

The altitude which we occupied, is over five thousand feet, 
while that of the mountains named above is from seven to 
eight thousand greater than where we were. 

The side of the mountains on which we gazed is the west 
side, and oh, how I wish I could convey to you the magnificence — 
the electrifying magnificence, of the spectacle when lighted with 
the glow of the lowering sun ! As we sat in the train, and it 
curved around the side of the mountain, and when, we were in 
the car of the inclined road, and nearing to a place where the 
view would be cut off, it seemed like a great transformation 
scene, which, while it was being cut off from view, was grandest 
under the last lingering look. At last it was gone, and we 
passed into the darkness of the valley with no evidence of life 
about us but the tingling of goat-bells and the twinkling lights 
far beneath. 

At nine o'clock we were back in Interlachen, and at supper. 
To-day the unequaled spectacle of last evening constantly looms 
up before us, and we feel some the temptation to go back to 
that mountain side, and feast on it to complete contentment. 

Near where we stood and gazed at the mighty scene was a 
little shop presided over by a woman, who sat outside the door 
making lace. We bought a few photographs of her, and talked 
to her. Said she, " The people are about done coming this year, 
and I will have to close my little store." " What will you do 
then ? " I asked. " Make lace." " That is the industry of your 
village in winter. How much can you make at it ? " " I can 
make one meter of this in a day, and it brings me fifty cen- 
times." She picked up an embroidery, about three-quarters of 
an inch wide. A meter is about four feet or a few inches more 
than a yard, and fifty centimes is ten cents United States 
money. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 285 

" Can you not make more than that ? " " On some kinds we 
can make sevent}' centimes by working very closely all day." 
Seventy centimes is fourteen cents, United States money. She 
was a good-looking woman, and spoke English, French, and 
German. 

Thun, Friday, September 29th : — This morning we got some 
letters, among them the very welcome ones from home of the 
9th and i6th. We think we get all the letters. A little after 
ten o'clock we went to the boat-landing to come to this old town, 
but found the boat had gone, a change in the running time 
having been made of which they were not advised at our hotel. 

The next boat would leave at two-thirty, and for the first time 
this summer, we found ourselves with nothing to do, without 
a lodging place, and in fact tramps. We loitered about the 
town, the promenades, and public places. We sauntered under 
some fine trees, picked up some English walnuts, cracked and 
ate them, and we counted fourteen omnibuses returning from 
the railroad station, in all of which there were four passengers. 
The hotels looked deserted, as they are, and the red and yellow 
foliage and the ground covered with leaves tell of the approach- 
ing Alpine winter. We walked under some trees, where the 
leaves lay thick, and dragged our feet through them to hear 
them rattle, which they did as they used to do in the woods in 
Ohio years ago. 

. We sat down on a bench and looked at Jungfrau. She was 
cloudless and sparkled under the rays of the sun. She twinkled 
and seemed to say to us, *' You silly little people, why did you 
not wait until to-day before going to Miirren to see us ? We are 
all cloudless and smiling to-day. I am dressed as I was when 
Monch and I were married, many centuries ago. Monch was 
dressed in white then, too, and I don't know why bridegrooms 
don't dress in white now as they did then. I did not have any 
bridesmaids, but Monch had Eiger for his best man, and he 
has always been his staunch friend. He has stood beside us 
all these centuries. Monch used to be impatient and scold, but 
he fovind that he was not the only member of the family who 
could do that, and he don't do it any more. 

" Monch and Eiger and I have seen more of this world than 



286 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

you little people, and if you will sit there and rest a little time, 
I will tell you of a few things we have seen. 

"For a long time after we were married, the people lived to- 
gether in love and satisfaction ; affection for each other was the 
order among them, and happiness ruled supreme. Their con- 
dition is described in the chapters of a very old book which is 
published in nearly all the languages of the world, and'they are 
described as being in a garden. Well, they became discontented 
with the rules governing their lives, and they substituted for 
them others which they made themselves. Gradually they 
became discontented under the new order of things, and dis- 
satisfaction with each other became the predominating char- 
acteristic among them. 

" This grew into hatred, and they set up among them Kings, 
and they marched armies and overrun each other's countries, 
and fought battles. Instead of affection and happiness, chaos 
and death ran riot over the world. 

" About this time there was a young man preaching away off in 
the country, a long distance from here, on the opposite side of 
us from where you are, who had a good niany ardent followers. 
He laid down new rules for life, and told the people what their 
condition would be after death, and he did many miraculous 
things. 

" As well as quite a number of followers, he had many opposers, 
and one day Monch and I were looking over into the country 
where the young man's home was, I don't remember the name 
now that they called it by, but I think it commenced with J, and 
we saw a city with a great building .in the middle of it, with 
towers and spires, and a wall surrounding it. There seemed to 
be something extraordinary going on, for we could see a great 
many people all about the city camped in the roads and on the 
hillsides. The next morning the sky was cloudless over the 
city, and the sun lighted it and the camps of the people finely. 
Later, however, dense clouds settled over the city and hills, 
enveloping all in blackness like night, which was frequently rent 
with flashes of lightning. In a few days we heard that the 
young preacher had been put to death. 

" There was in the city a man who was the representative of 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 287 

the most powerful empire in tlie world, the capital of which was 
in a very old city, and which lies some distance to our left. 
There were several rulers of the Empire along about that time 
who were known by the same name ; I cannot give you the name 
but it commenced with C. The fact is, there have occurred so 
many things to remember, that Monch and I decided a long time 
ago, that we would not trouble about names and dates, but about 
events we are quite good. 

" Well, the representative of the Ruler of the Great Empire had 
soldiers under him, and was all-powerful in the country. When 
the enemies of the young preacher took him before this powerful 
man, although he declared that he could see no harm in him, 
he did not exercise his authority to save his life. 

" But the death of the young man did not stop the spread of 
his teachings ; on the contrary, they spread very fast, and very 
rapidly became known and accepted in one form and another, 
by many of the people in the world, but the people to whom the 
young preacher belonged, and who put him to death, never came 
to believe in him. 

" While very many people of the world, among them the rulers 
of the Great Empire, received and believed the teachings, they dif- 
fered in the way that they thought they should be applied. This 
difference grew into great bitterness, and resulted in centuries 
of war among the factions. 

. " The governor, who had failed to save the life of the young 
preacher, they say was compelled to flee the country, and died 
on, or in the vicinity of our neighbor, Pilatus, which accounts 
for his name. The Great Empire determined to compel the 
acceptance of the way it received and applied the teachings, 
and for this purpose used force of all kinds. Armies were 
marched all over the countries about us ; cities and homes, and 
thousands and thousands of lives were destroyed. Great 
machines were built and scattered all over the land, on which 
people were twisted, and pulled, and racked, and their bones 
broken. Many of those machines are stored in the cities in 
the countries all about here, and people, by thousands, pay 
money to see them. 

" I think I saw you two little people going into a building 



288 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

which contained some of them a few days ago. Well, this con- 
dition of things went on for ten or twelve centuries, when an- 
other faction became powerful, and they made war on the fac- 
tion of the Great Empire. They destroyed their buildings and 
machines and killed many of their people. I believe they call 
this the Reformation. 

" Over in an island, which always looks green and beautiful, 
as we look across France to it, there was a man who was par- 
ticularly intolerant of the way the representatives of the Great 
Empire accepted and applied the teachings. I cannot give you 
his name, but it, too, began with C, I think. 

" While his way of thinking about the young preacher was not 
the same as that of the faction who were opposing the faction 
in power, he concluded that it was a good time for him to act, 
and he raised armies and commenced bitter and unrelenting 
war. He planted cannon all over the green island, and bat- 
tered down great buildings, and his soldiers prodded the fat 
representatives of the Great Empire with their bayonets, and 
made them n)ove on. 

" About this time, a fine sunny day, Eiger called to us to look 
over on the great ocean to the west of us. We did so and saw, 
at a very long distance away, three ships sailing in the same 
direction, growing smaller and smaller. At last there came a 
cloudy day and we saw them no more. 

" A year after that we heard that a great continent of land had 
been found by a great and fearless sailor, who had been sup- 
plied with ships by one of the Queens off to our left. We fi- 
nally learned that the new continent was to the west beyond the 
great ocean ; then we knew where the three ships were going. 

"Now we have, as visitors every year, many people from that 
new continent. We Hke them very well ; the women are beauti- 
ful, and the men look like soldiers in ordinary dress. They 
come here, and climb up our sides, and order and pay as 
though they owned the earth. We cannot take any offense, 
because they are so polite, and nice, and then they pay well. 

From what we have heard, we conclude that the new conti- 
nent has grown to be very rich, and powerful ; and while they 
are a very peaceable people, we see that the Kings and Queens 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 289 

about us don't want to have anything unpleasant occur with 
them. 

" I thought yesterday, when you two little people were over 
here, that you were from the big new country ; then I thought 
you were from the other couitry, where they speak your lan- 
guage, but that would not du, for the women from there all wear 
sailor hats, and shirt waists, and the men knee-breeches and 
gray stockings. I would have gone back to the thought that 
you were from the new country, but I heard the gentleman 
roaring about our gray clothes, and stamping his feet, because 
we did not show our white robes, and that was not possible. 
Then there is another thing ; the people from the new country 
are stylishly and well-dressed, while you two little people — well, 
I don't know about you. 

" The other day Monch and Eiger and I were watching the 
armies maneuvering in the different countries about us. Some 
distance off to the north, we saw great armies commanded by a 
big man with a black beard, who looked like a big bear, and off 
to our right, were big armies commanded by a young kingly- 
looking man, with light hair. In the west, beyond France, 
were armies and big ships, over which sat a lion who kept 
shaking his mane and brushing his tail from side to side. 

" Right down by us were the armies of France, hungry for a 
chance to fight. Beside all of these we could see thousands of 
soldiers all about us, belonging to other countries, and we could 
also hear the cannon from battles then in progress in countries 
far away. 

" Then we talked of the utterly divided opinion which still 
exists with reference to the teachings of the young preacher, 
and which has formed cause for war for so many centuries, and 
we could not see that the world is very different from what it 
has been for two thousand years. 

*' About the only advance that Monch and Eiger and I can 
see has been made is, that the armies and soldiers are pre- 
pared to kill people faster than they used to be. 

" Now, little people, I have given you as much time as I 
can spare, and will bid you ' adieu/ and will put on my gray 
robes." 
19 



290 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

We arose and walked on, much impressed with what Jung- 
frau had said. 

Near by was a building that used to be a monastery. In dif- 
ferent apartments of it now church service is performed by the 
Church of England, the Church of Scotland, and the Church of 
Rome. Perhaps if Jungfrau would note this, she would see 
that progress has been made. 

Midday had now come, and we had dinner, and soon after 
took the boat which brought us here. The lake, which we 
traverse lengthwise to come from Interlachen here, is Lake 
Thun, pronounced "Tune." It is eleven miles long and two 
wide, and in places is seven hundred feet deep. It differs from 
Lakes Brienz and Lucerne, in that much of the way along its 
sides the mountains are back some distance, and in their stead 
is landscape, which rises easily from the water, and on which 
there are many houses and villages. 

At half-past four we were in Thun. We gave our baggage 
to the porter of the Frienhof Hotel, and walked to the house, 
which is situated by the landing. As we entered the" portals, I 
remarked to my partner that it seemed like entering a barn or 
mill. We went in through an arch, the main entrance, into 
which teams enter, and this brought us into a court paved with 
boulders, and having two galleries, which were the upper floors. 
Heavy square timbers supported these floors, and to ascend to 
them we went up coarse stone steps. The upper halls and 
corridors were floored with stones. The building has been 
built more than five hundred years. 

It is exquisitely clean, and we had excellent beds and meals 
for an amount of money that seemed shockingly small. We 
would like to have remained longer. 

The town is very old and quaint. The streets are narrow, 
and very crooked, and the eaves of the houses extend out into 
them six and eight feet. It reminded us much of Chester, 
England, by its sidewalks, raised high above the street, on 
which many women sit and sew and make lace. We walked 
about until dark, went up to the castle, which was built in the 
twelfth century, and high up to a grand terrace, to which a 
flight of two hundred and eighteen stone steps leads, and from 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 29 1 

which we had a fine view of the lake, town, and landscape, and 
distant Alps. 

The next day being Saturday was market-day, and the 
town and streets were full of people and of things to sell. 
Temporary stalls were located all about the streets, in which 
were for sale all kinds of merchandise, boots, shoes, dry goods, 
hardware, and groceries. 

Under one of the tents was a good array of millinery, and 
some women trimming hats. In other places were a profusion 
of fruits and vegetables. There were plenty of buyers, and it 
was an interesting scene of comfort and satisfaction. 

What I contrast with all of these town scenes so severely 
with like ones in our own country, is the perfect order and pro- 
priety which rules all the time. No boisterous talking or ruf- 
fianism ; all orderly and quiet. The vegetables and fruits were 
nearly all brought into the town in small carts, drawn by St. 
Bernard dogs. 

At nine-thirty we left by rail for Berne, and arrived there in 
an hour, and we had from ten-thirty to two-twenty in Berne. It 
is the capital of Canton-Berne, and has forty-six thousand in- 
habitants. It is very old-fashioned and quaint, like Thun, 
and being of course market-day there too, we saw many scenes 
like those we described above. 

The bear is the emblem of Berne, and you see them done in 
statues about all the time. We walked to the bear-pits, at 
"the end of one of the principal streets, and the bears sat down, 
lolled about, and begged for nuts, and smelled just as they do 
in Lincoln Park. 

We saw a very funny clock. It is in a tower in the street, 
which is thirty feet square. An archway is in the tower, 
through which teams and people go. I estimated the dial of 
the clock to be twelve feet in diameter. Near the dial is the 
sitting figure of a man, who holds in one hand, an hour-glass, 
and in the other a staff. On his right is the figure of a cock, 
say a foot and a half high, while on his left is a bear about the 
same size. Over his head is a sort of Mephistophelian figure 
of a little man, say two feet high, over both of whose two 
shoulders is a bell nine inches in diameter. Below the sitting 



292 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

figure first referred to, around by his feet, is a place for a 
procession to promenade. 

Now for the business of all these worthies : — Five minutes 
before the hour, the cock crows, and the bear turns his head 
around, both several times. Two minutes before the hour, the 
procession of grotesque bears marches around on the place for 
the procession. These figures are about a foot high, and very 
funny. During the march, Mephisto above rings his two bells, 
by beating on each with an iron bar which he has in each 
hand ; then the big clock strikes the hour, and the hour-glass 
turns upside down, and then the cock crows again, and there is 
more moving of heads, and the hour has finally been announced. 

'There were other people there to see the performance of the 
clock besides ourselves. 

There are fountains with grotesque statues. One of a giant 
swallowing babies, of which he has about him a half a dozen 
or more. Another represents a knight waving a flag, while be- 
tween his legs stands a bear shooting a gun. 

There are some fine terraces, with trees and seats high up 
above the river and valley, and a diagram showing the loca- 
tion and giving the names of the mountains in the distance. 

We walked by the cathedral and other things of interest, 
ate dinner, and came here to Geneva. 

The ride here lasted from two-fifteen to six-thirty, and was 
much of the way among farms and villages. The landscape is 
beautiful and interesting. 

It is Sunday evening, the 30th : — We went to the American 
Episcopal Church. The minister is a Southerner, a Virginian, 
i think, but perhaps from " Kaintucky, sah." 

The wind is blowing furiously and is full of falling leaves. 
We are cold ! 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 293 



LETTER XXXIII. 

Geneva, October 2d, 1894. 

The storm of wind which had raged here during Sunday 
and Monday, and which had filled the corners made by the 
buildings with leaves, and had turned over or mashed the little 
boats in the lake, had disappeared this morning, and we had 
balmy air, quiet, and sunshine instead. 

For some time after breakfast we walked about the town and 
looked at the buildings and stores. Finally we found ourselves 
on the hill by the cathedral, St. Pierre. It was completed 
early in the eleventh century, and was afterward Calvin's 
Church. It is a massive building, but with little ornamentation. 

Among the monuments in the cathedral, the most important 
one is that of Duke Henri de Rohan, leader of thg Protestant 
armies, who fell at Rheinfelden, in 1638. 

Among the curios is a chair which Calvin used. It is a 
small chair, with a high straight back, and I suppose it was on 
account of this chair that we have straight-backed Presby- 
terians. 

From the church we pass into the Rue de 1' Hotel de Ville 
and to the Hotel de Ville, or City Hall, as we would call it. 
On the side of the building are large boards, over which are 
various labels, which show that they are to fasten public notices 
on for their publication, and on the boards are many of the 
notices. Over one of the boards, in letters about six inches 
long, was this label : 

" Promesses de Mariage." 

and on the board were many records of promises to marry. 
They were by people in all stations of life, as far as we could 
make out from the papers, which were written in legal form, 
and bore the seal of an officer. The one I copied being like 



294 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

all the rest, save that the names and dates of course differed, 
was as follows : 

" Acte de Promesse de Mariage. 
Louis Ernest Larnier 
(Worker in Stone), 
To Zalie Besincon (cook)." 

and the paper called for notice of any opposition, that there 
might be, to be served by a certain date. If there was such 
requirement as this in our country, some people would require 
permanent space. 

From here we walked down on a level almost with the river, 
turned a few corners, and entered a beautiful place having fine 
trees, grass and walks, and on one side conservatories and 
botanical gardens. On another side, facing it all, are the 
University buildings. 

The University has seventy professors, and about seven hun- 
dred pupil^ ' The lectures are public, and are liberally attended 
by the people, not connected with the college. The library has 
one hundred thousand volumes, and sixteen hundred manu- 
scripts, and was founded by Francis Bonivard, prisoner of 
Chillon. 

Among the manuscripts are some by Calvin, Henri IV. of 
France, Voltaire, Mme. De Stael, Mirabeau, Napoleon Bona- 
parte, Bonivard, and many other well-known names. 

There is a vast collection of portraits, among them of Calvin, 
Luther, John Knox, Melanchthon, Jean Wycliffe, and others as 
prominent. 

We walked some distance along the narrow point, or strip of 
land, which separates the water of the Rhone from that of the 
Aare, and which finally becomes no land, and then the two 
rivers become one. Our walk took us across one of the rivers 
on one of the bridges, by which lay six wash-boats, boats of 
different lengths, from forty to eighty feet, and thirty feet wide. 
The sides were open, with boards which were a foot wide and 
three feet long, lying along about a foot and a half apart, and 
slanting down to within a foot of the water of the river. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 295 

Women were standing in the boat and washing clothing. 
They would souse an article in the water and wet it, then spread 
it on one of the boards, and then apply soap, and then they 
would brush it with a brush like a scrubbing" brush. They 
stood in a row on each side of the boat, and worked rapidly. 
The tops of the boats are flat, and there the clothes are dried. 
I conclude that they pay for the right to go there and do their 
washing. 

In looking over my note-book, I see that I have neglected to 
mention two things which we saw in the library of the Uni- 
versity, viz., the sermons of St. Augustine, of the sixth century, 
which are on papyrus with vellum between the layers. Also a 
Latin manuscript of St. Jerome's Version of the four Evangelists, 
written in the eigh-th century. 

They were very interesting to me, and I did not want to leave 
them out of the letter. Papyrus looks like an extremely thin 
shaving of wood, not thicker in fact than this paper. I wonder 
what process it is put through to make it stand even the action 
of the air for twelve hundred years. 

As we were walking back into the city, after seeing the junc- 
tion of the two rivers, my partner said, " Come, let us walk faster, 
or we will be late for luncheon." I said, " I don't care if we 
are ; I told them that we might not be in for lunch, and I want 
to go some place else for it." 

I don't know what I have written before about Table- 
d'hote meals, but think I will tell you about them on the Con- 
tinent ; and let you form your own opinion whether it agrees 
with what I have written before, or not. 

You arrive at the hotel, say at six o'clock p.m., and are shown 
to your room, more than likely, by the manager, or head waiter. 
He will say, '• Our dinner will be ready at seven o'clock." 
There will be a kind of plaintive, appealing look about his face, 
which from past experience you read to say, " and you know 
that we make money out of our dinners, and as we have not 
many guests, I hope you will have dinner." " Oh yes, we will 
take dinner," you say cheerfully, when in fact you are almost 
dying to go to a restaurant and sit down to a beefsteak and 
fried potatoes. The bell rings, and you go to the table ; the 



296 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

guests are not all there, so you wait until they come. The 
array of crockery, glass, linen and flowers is perfect, and the 
eyes have a feast. 

Finally the last slow guest is seated ; you take the little cube 
of bread out of the napkin, in which it is neatly folded, spread 
the napkin on your lap, and the gentleman in evening dress sets 
a dish with some soup in it on your plate. The soup is good, 
and you are hungry, but the quantity is not enough to swim a 
blue-bottle fly. You make a few passes at it with your spoon, 
and presto, change ! — it is gone. 

Down the other side of the table, a note or two, is an old 
lady with corkscrew curls, who is telling a story to a tailor's 
sign, that has a round piece of glass in front of one eye. The 
story is long, and made longer by the sipping of the soup, and 
all wait. Finally she has finished the stor\', glances around, 
and lays down her spoon. Other plates are brought, and when 
all is in readiness, a platter containing fish is placed betore 
you ; with the fish, on the side of the platter, will be a little 
pile of potato balls ; you look down the line to your left 
and see how much others have taken, and duplicate the 
quantity. 

Jn less time than it takes to wri^e it, the fish and potato balls 
have flxOwn, and asfain vou fold vour hands and wait. This 
time a party of four or five French people on opposite sides of 
the table are all talking French just as fast and as loud as they 
possibly can. You think there is a wrangle in progress, when 
suddenly they all burst into laughter, after which they quickly 
dispose of the fish. 

Soon glittering plates and knives and forks are again ad- 
justed and this time roast beef is offered. On the platter, from 
end to end, will lay a ridge of roast beef, made by nicely laying 
slices slanting one on the other. There will be nice gravy about 
the meat and potato balls on the side of the platter, and it will 
look and smell most inviting. You help yourself to one of the 
slices, a few of the potato balls, and some of the gravy, when 
3-ou immediately see that all there is of the meat is surface 
measurement. For thickness, it iswaferish. You cut the slice 
in two, put your fork in one half, turn up the corner, plant the 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. J9; 

fork more firmly, and lo ! half of your ration of meat has disap- 
peared. 

About this time your partner will see that you are getting 
ahead of the procession, and will wink at you to go slowly. 
You determine not to come out ahead this time, so you kill time 
by eating pinches of bread, and sipping wine. Finally the 
course is finished and the crockery adjusted. 

For this course the menu announces vegetables ; they come ! 
A tureen filled with string beans. You take a spoonful, and 
having forgotten your partner's admonishing look, you are im- 
mediately abashed to see that the beans are gone, and you have 
nothing to do but hold your hands. Change again. 

This time chicken and salad are the order. The chicken will 
be nicely cooked and have nice gravy ; every joint will be dis- 
jointed; the drum sticks will be split in two, and the breast 
will be quartered. The salad, dressed lettuce, and dressed to 
perfection, will be in a small tureen. When you see the size 
of the pieces of chicken, hope gives way to despair ; you meekly 
tumble a sample of it on to your plate, pinch out a little of the 
salad, and the waiter passes on. 

The next number will likely be some half-grown croquettes 
beside which will lie a little pile of peas and macaroni. Then 
you have reached the turning-point in the dinner, and while the 
last half is not accomplished any faster than the first, you know 
by past experience that you are equal to it. 

We have noticed in Europe that they have the nicest pudding- 
moulds that we have ever seen. When the pudding is turned 
out of them on to the shining platter, and comes before you 
steaming hot, followed with a delicious dressing, it is most per- 
fectly fluted into nice little portions, and you know just how to 
get at the size of your sample. 

I told my partner last night that I believed that I could sit 
there two days, and take the portions that were being served. 
It takes about an hour and a half to get through the Table- 
d'hote meal, and when 3'ou are through, you — no I must talk in 
the first person — well, I feel that all I have are reminiscences of 
a number of nice dishes. 

When I sit down in our room, I go off into a doze, and tl.ere 



298 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

appear to be floating around the room, and dancing before my 
face, platters containing nice steaks, and fried eggs, and hot 
rolls, and pots of steaming coffee. 

Geneva is a beautiful city, and is beautifully situated. Au- 
thentic records exist of Geneva running back two thousand 
years. The Canton of Geneva, which is the Republic of Gen- 
eva and part of the Swiss Confederation, has one hundred 
and nine square miles, and one hundred and one thousand, five 
hundred inhabitants. The city has sev6nty-two thousand 
inhabitants, and has been a leader in many things. The world 
owes its people much. 

Public schools have been maintained since the thirteenth 
century, and public instruction has been well organized for 
nearly five hundred years. The University has been flourish- 
ing for more than three centuries. 

Its people, under the leadership of Calvin, made a nobl'e 
record in the Reformation. 

A list of forty-eight cities in Europe and America was recently 
published giving the death rates. The highest is Barcelona, 
thirty-eight and one-tenth per M., and the lowest, Geneva, 
fourteen and seven-tenths per M. Chicago is not in the list. 

There are parks and statues and fine buildings, and every 
spot is perfectly clean. There are beautiful drives and roads, 
and the landscape with mountains in the distance, among them 
Mont Blanc, are simply perfection. 

Wednesday, the 3d. — Yesterday afternoon we went in an 
electric car to the edge of the city, and walked into the country, 
a rnile or more, to the grounds of the chateau of Baroness Adolf 
Rothschild. Our w^lk was through a lovely road, through 
orchards and vineyards. 

Apples were being gathered in large quantities, and the vines 
were loaded with grapes. Leaves lay thick along the road, 
while the vines, which covered the walls, wore the autumnal 
hues, which would break the heart of an artist to copy. 

Quiet and peace and comfort seemed to reign ; it was a per- 
fect autumn scene. We arrived at the entrance of the grounds 
to the chateau, but were told by the lodge-keeper, that visitors 
were not being admitted. The wind had littered the grounds 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 299 

and walks with such quantities of leaves and twigs, that until 
they were cleaned up, the grounds would be closed. We were 
sorry not to see the house and grounds, but as we loitered back 
to the city, we felt repaid for the trip. 

This morning we left the hotel at nine o'clock, and went to the 
boat, which goes to the other end of the lake. Lake Geneva, 
or properly Lac Leman, is forty-five miles long, and from one 
and a half to eight miles wide. It is from two hundred and 
forty to eleven hundred feet deep, and in area is two hundred 
and twenty-five square miles. The shape is that of a half 
moon, with the points to the south. 

The boat started at nine-thirty, and we left it at two o'clock 
at Territet, the landing for Chillon. A walk of fifteen minutes 
along the shore in the direction in which we had been going, 
brought us to the Castle of Chillon. It stands on the edge of 
the lake, twenty yards from the shore, on an isolated rock, be- 
tween it and the shore being the now dry moat, which is crossed 
by a bridge, in place of the original drawbridge. 

Immediately upon entering, we came into a series of apart- 
ments along by the water side of the castle. First : — the room 
in which those intended for execution spent their last night. 
Next: — the execution room, with a shoot reaching down into 
the lake, where the water is two hundred and fifty feet deep, 
and down which the bodies of the victims were sent. Thence 
"into a prison cell or chamber, which I should say was thirty- 
five by eighty feet, with a row of columns running through the 
middle, which are, say, twenty inches in diameter. To these 
the prisoners were chained, the staples and rings being there 
yet. 

The one to which Francis Bonnivard, " Prisoner of Chillon," 
was chained, was designated by the guide. He was there six 
years ; his chain was but three feet long, and a deep indenture 
is worn in the rock by his feet. He was the son of the Lord of 
Lune, Louis Bonnivard, and inherited from an uncle a valuable 
estate outside the walls of Geneva. He was born in 1496. 

The Duke of Savoy, having attacked the Republic of Geneva, 
Bonnivard espoused its cause, and thereby incurred the relent- 
less enmity of the Duke, who caused him to be arrested and 



300 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

imprisoned in the Castle of Grolee. He was there two years, 
and in 1528 he was again in arms against those who had seized 
his revenues. 

The city of Geneva supplied him with munitions of war, for 
which Bonnivard parted with his birthright. The revenues of 
the birthright were used to support the City Hospital. He was 
afterward employed in the service of the Republic, but in 1530, 
when traveling between Moudon and Lausanne, he fell into the 
liands of his old enemy, the Duke of Savoy, who imprisoned 
him in the Castle of Chillon. He was liberated in 1536 by the 
Bernese and Genevese forces, and spent the rest of his life a 
highly respected citizen, and died in 1570, seventy-four years 
old. 

In the chamber, or prisoners' room, carved in the stone, are 
many very distinguished names, among them Victor Hugo, 
Dumas, Byron, Shelley, George Sand, and others, but you are 
not to understand that they were prisoners there. 

It is historical, that Chillon was used as a prison as early as 
830. It was much improved in the thirteenth century by Count 
Peter of Savo}^, and was at different times the homes of the 
Dukes of Savoy. We were shown quite thoroughly over the 
grim old place, now made up of almost entirely unattractive 
walls. In a large hall, which the attendant called the recep- 
tion room, is a fireplace ten feet wide, with a crane and hooks 
in it. In another large hall, which she called the banquet 
room, there was one twelve feet wide. She took us into a small 
dark chamber, which she said was the oubliette. Leading 
down from it was a dark crooked stairway, with a trap door in 
the floor at one place. Into this stairway victims were in- 
veigled, and from it they never returned dead, or alive. They 
were forgotten. 

On emerging out into the court again, the attendant told us 
that was all, and handing her a franc, we passed out over the 
bridge. There the old soldier stood, with an expectant look, 
and handing him fifty centimes we walked up the hill, and took 
the electric car back to the station, glad to breathe the free air, 
and to be in the sunshine. 

We had just time for luncheon before the arrival of the 



i:l"kw;\. ; .;i)M may to December. 301 

train for Geneva, which we boarded and arrived home at six- 
thirty. 

The ride on the boat afforded us an excellent observation of 
the lake. Much of the entire length of the lake, on both sides, 
the land ascends back easily, and is covered with vineyards 
and cultivated fields, orchards, and pastures. 

All about the landscape are villages, and frequently the boat 
touches at quaint towns. It is a lovely ride, and a beautiful 
lake, but I doubt if we will see anything entirely up to Lake 
Lucerne. 

There are many things of interest here, which we must pass, 
among them the home of Mme. de Stael, in which she lived with 
her father after his banishment from Paris by Napoleon. The 
Museum, too, would undoubtedly furnish us entertainment for 
a long hour or two, but we cannot, any place, do the half that 
there is to do. 

The number of tourists that we meet is diminishing daily, 
and very soon the number will be down to those who are out 
for winter. Trains are being taken off, and coach lines laid up. 
The boats have but few passengers, and the hotels look de- 
serted. 

We went out to-day expecting to get tickets to Chamonix to 
see the glaciers of Mt. Blanc, but as it was raining, and possibly 
snowing at Chamonix, the excursion people told us to wait 
until to-morrow. 

From Chamonix we go to Italy via Simplon Pass by stage. 
We will only have about a month for Italy, and be in Paris 
November 15th, which is now our plan. 



302 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 



LETTER XXXIV. 

Chamonix, France, October c^th, 1894. 

We left Geneva to-day at ten o'clock, and arrived here at 
six, or a little later. Our route was by rail to a little town 
within the boundaries of France, Cluses by name. We ar- 
rived there a little after twelve o'clock and had luncheon. 

The ride took us through agricultural landscape all the way. 
Every available inch of land is cultivated, and the farming is 
done with such exquisite care and neatness, that to speak of 
the country as being agricultural landscape, does not tell the story 
of its garden-like beauty. You people in the great West, when 
that term is used, will think of the great corn-fields of Illinois, 
and the prairies of wheat in Dakota. They, of course, form 
agricultural landscape, but it is very different from that of 
France and ' Switzerland, where the farms are very small, and 
are platted into little fields, which are devoted to many differ- 
ent things. 

Fruit and vegetables are great staples in this country, hence 
much of the land is devoted to the production of apples, pears, 
and plums, and of course grapes are grown in great quantities. 
The orchards, laden with ripe fruit, the vines, now sear and 
yellow, but rich with luscious grapes, and the fields of vegeta- 
bles, all added peculiar richness to the landscape. It is what 
you see in a fine painting of fruit. 

Frequently the train stopped, and we would see about us a 
town, or village which would look to us as distinctly foreign, but 
we could see that in them all perfect order and cleanliness ruled. 

From Cluses, our traveling to this place was done by dili- 
gence. That term, in this case, is applied to large covered 
wagons drawn by three horses abreast, the middle horse work- 
ing in shafts, and though we had twelve or fourteen passengers 
for part of the distance, we pushed along at lively speed. The 
distance from Cluses here is thirty miles, and is uphill much 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 303 

of the way. Some of the way, for a few miles at least, we 
passed through a valley devoted to farms. 

Gradually it became more and more narrow, and the ascent 
of the road became greater and greater, until finally we were 
winding along the sides of mountains, the road being simply a 
ledge with a wall on the precipice side, and the unmeasured 
mountain on the other. 

A great deal of the way the road is made by the solid rock 
being blasted away, and a terrace formed. In the bottom of 
the gorge rushed a roaring river, formed by the glaciers of Mont 
Blanc. It is easy to tell the rivers that are formed by glaciers, 
they look milky. 

Yesterday morning we went out from the hotel to see about 
coming here, and were advised by the excursion people not to 
do it until the weather should improve. It was then raining, 
and the gentleman said that it might be snowing in Chamonix, 
and said he, " You will not be able to get through the passes." 
This morning it was still raining, but we determined to come 
any way. 

It has rained much of the day, the afternoon particularly, all 
of which we spent in the diligence, it rained steadily. The 
cover protected us thoroughly, and as we were well wrapped, 
and had blankets, we were very comfortable, though it was so 
cold, tiiat it seemed that the rain must turn to snow. 

The ride that we took this afternoon is one that is celebrated 
for the scenery, but it was lost to us by the low-lying dense 
clouds. Much of the distance, when the sun is shining, the 
tourist has looming up before him snow-covered Mont Blanc, 
and other of the Snow Alps, while he is yet riding along the 
sides of others. 

All of this grandeur was rigidly kept from us though, until 
about half an hour before we reached Chamonix the clouds 
parted, and we saw, lying off to our right, the Grand Glacier, 
Des Bossons, belonging to Mont Blanc, then they closed again, 
and all we could see were the valley and mountains immediately 
about us, and vast oceans of clouds. The last two hours of the 
ride were made within the cloud-line, about us all the time be- 
ing the cold steam, nearly thick enough to cut into slices. 



304 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

The altitude of Geneva is twelve hundred and forty-three feet, 
while the altitude of Chamonix is thirty-four hundred and forty- 
five feet, hence you will see that we have ascended twenty-two 
hundred feet. 

Our diligence carried the mail, and each horse wore a string 
of sleigh-bells. The use of them is to give warning to drivers 
of other teams, the road being so crooked that collisions might 
occur. 

Frequently we rattled into Alpine villages, and arrayed about 
their homes would be the people, to have the excitement of the 
day. We had three changes of horses, and there was much of 
interest in the journey though the grand mountains were hidden 
from us. 

We are very snugly housed at a plain little hotel, and, my dear 
relatives and friends, we have a fire in our room, and are warm. 

Saturday, October 6th, Chamonix, The Glacier Des Bos- 
sons : — We were awakened this morning by a serenade of cow- 
bells. It is a very different thing from a serenade of cow-bells 
in our country. There we don't give much attention to the 
musical quality of cow-bells, but it is quite different in Switzer- 
land, and this part of France. I have noticed the cow-bells 
quite a good deal, and see they are studied articles. They are 
made of yellow metal, and cared for until the color is kept 
proper. Many of them have figures in bas-relief on them, rep- 
resenting cows, milk-maids, and other like subjects. Others 
again will be smooth on the outside, and will be kept polished 
until they look like gold. They are of various sizes, from what 
we could call a small cow-bell up to those that will be ten inches 
in diameter, at the open part, and other proportions to agree. 
Some will be thick, and others thin, hence in a collection of 
them, there will be all tones. They will be hung to the neck of 
boss with a wide strap, which will likely be of fancy-colored 
leather. Nearly all of the cows carry bells, and as there are 
many cows, you are frequently treated to a funny concert, which 
is not by any means entirely disagreeable. Well, a herd of cows 
passed under our window this morning, and awakened us with 
a cow-bell serenade. 

At a quarter before nine o'clock we had breakfasted and 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 305 

were leaving the hotel with a guide. My partner wore over her 
dress-waist a chamois leather jacket, and over that her woolen 
jacket, and she wore a little felt hat. Her shoes were the stogas 
which she bought in Southampton, and which she has worn in 
all our tramps. 

I wore the cape of my overcoat, a slouch felt hat, and heavy 
shoes that I bought in Lucerne, and my trowsers were well 
turned up k la Albert Edward. The guide carried our umbrellas, 
and we each carried an Alpine staff. We walked erect, and 
stepped up boldly, doing the English act very well, and we car- 
ried the Alpine staffs by the middle, h. la Anglaise. 

The weather was better than yesterday, in that the clouds 
were higher, and not as dense, and then at that time it was not 
raining. I said to my partner, that it looked as though it might 
clear up soon, or rain torrents in fifteen minutes. 

We went through the village to the road, along which w^e had 
come last evening, and turned toward the foot of the gorge, in 
which is the glacier Des Bossons. W'e could see the glacier 
lying before us, and stretching up in the gorge like a mighty 
serpent of ice. The guide pointed out the course we would 
take, viz., along the- road which we were then walking until we 
had passed the opening of the gorge ; thence up the mountain 
side to a little chalet, which he pointed out, and which stands 
by the side of the glacier; thence into the Ice Grotto ; thence 
across the glacier and down by a path on the side of the mount- 
ain, then on our left. 

We went along merrily, pleased with the prospect of a clear- 
ing day, and the reasonable hope that we could see the tops of 
the grand Alps, which makeChamonix famous. 

Then it commenced to rain lightly, but it commenced. I did 
not say anything on account of my partner and the guide, but 
there were things floating in the air around about where I was, 
which if they had become words, would have sounded like '*this 
weather is perfectly, well you may imagine. Whew, brimstone ! 

Soon we came to an artificial lake, which lies by the side of 

the road, and is made by confining the water of a spring. It is 

a pretty thing. There is one basin about sixty by thirty feet, 

kito which the water first flows, and in which the water is from 
30 



306 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

three to five feet deep. It is so perfectly clear and transparent, 
that I think under certain conditions we would not see the 
water at all. That of course would require the right kind of 
light, and that the water be absolutely quiet. To-day, of course, 
the cheerful rain-drops, which are always pattering down around 
where we are, were pattering on the little pond, and the little 
ripples which they caused, and which seemed to be smiling at 
us, prevented the possible delusion referred to. It is the finest 
water that I ever saw. It comes out of the mountains from an 
opening, which is lined with rocks, and which is about two feet 
wide, and three or more high. 

The rain now came harder, and taking our umbrellas from the 
guide, we raised them, and, crossing a little farm at the foot of 
the mountain, commenced the ascent. 

My partner and the guide kept up a conversation, in which 
they both seemed much interested, and of which all that I could 
understand was, " wee, madam, and " wee, wee." Occasionally 
my partner would turn to me and explain their conversation by 
saying something in English. From the guide we learned that 
about twenty-four parties had gone up Mont Blanc this season. 
He went up once this year, September 3d, the fifth time he has 
done it. The number this year was much smaller than last, 
about forty-five being the number of parties that went up last , 
year. 

The ascensions of Mont Blanc are governed by law. If there 
is but one person, he must be accompanied by three persons, 
one guide and two porters, or two guides, and one porter. If 
there are additional tourists, there must be more attendants, and 
it costs one tourist from fifty to sixty-five dollai-s. I had arranged 
with my partner to remain here, while I would make the as- 
cent, but the season is too far over, and the weather too un- 
favorable for it. It would be now what is termed extraordinary, 
and there are additional requirements. We must let it go, 
though we are disappointed. 

The path which we walked up the side of the mountain, is 
fairly easy to ascend. It is about six feet wide, and zigzags 
bacK and forth under trees and heavy foliage nearly all the 
distance. The exception being when it comes out of the trees. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 307 

and crosses a little plateau, which is devoted to the little farm 
and house of a mountaineer. The first evidence which we had 
of a habitation being a beautiful white cat, which sprang up the 
path ahead of us, and scampered across the field to the cottage. 

When w^e arrived at the little chalet which the guide had 
pointed out to us, w^e found it to be a refreshment place, and 
the home of the people who collect the fee to enter, and who 
light the candles in the Ice Grotto. We stood on the land a few 
minutes, and looked at the monster glacier, and having paid our 
franc each, went down the bank say fifty feet, walked over a 
plank bridge and entered the grotto, or tunnel. It is a simple 
tunnel in the ice, like the one I described in the lower glacier 
at Grindelwald. We think, if possible, the ice is more beautiful 
than that at Grindelwald. It is quite blue, and on that account, 
to me, finer to look at. The tunnel goes inward forty paces, and 
stands are frequently placed, on which are candles. They, when 
lighted, add to the effect, though without them it is not dark. 

As we were returning from the grotto the young fellow who 
had preceded us and lighted the candles, called my attention 
politely to a placard which was done in several languages, and it 
read, " Please remember the boy." I only had a few centimes, 
except franc pieces, and I gave them to him. When we had 
come out, and were starting to go up on the glacier, he preceded 
us with an ice-axe and fixed the steps. Before trying the steps, the 
guide produced woolen stockings, which my partner and I put on 
over our shoes. We found them a great help against slipping. 

When we had gotten up on top of the ice, and the lad's work 
was done, he came to me and said something very nicely, the 
only word of which I could understand w^as, " Monsieur." But 
I understood his face, for I have learned the expressions, if not 
the language. I handed him a franc, and he doubled up 
once, and then again, in bowing his thanks, and flew across the 
ice to his home on the mountain. A few yards, say a hundred, 
further up from where we crossed, the glacier is miich steeper, 
so steep that to ascend by it would require much cutting of 
steps. Where we crossed, it lay along the gorge almost level. 

Up far above us was the sea of ice, the feeder for the 
monster, while not far below us was the green valley and the 



308 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

town. Frequently we crossed little brooks of water, which 
flowed in little shallow crevices down from the high part above 
us. I got down and drank out of one of them, and my partner, 
not wanting to miss anything, took off her glove, lifted the 
water, and drank out of her hand. It was the first ice-water 
for a long time. 

We were fifteen minutes crossing the ice, and by a path much 
like the one by which we had ascended returned to the town, 
where we arrived just three hours after starting, the allotted 
time for the trip. 

The place where we crossed is about four hundred feet higher 
than the valley, and you understand that we went a long dis- 
tance above the lower end. There the giant lies, centuries old, 
and does not change, though in a temperature where vegetation 
thrives well, save that it gradually crawls down the gorge. It 
has moved this year about one hundred and fifty feet. 

We have arranged to go to-morrow to the greater glacier, the 
Mer de Glace. We left it for the last, hoping that the clouds 
would disappear, which would so much help the view. While 
the rain did not continue long this forenoon, the clouds did, 
and they are with us yet. 

My partner thought we would be able to see the mountain 
tops once this afternoon, if we would go out, and we tried it. 
We caught glimpses of the white tops, reaching far up toward the 
zenith, but they only afforded a taste of the glories that they have 
who are fortunate enough to be in Chamonix when the sun shines. 

Sunday, October 7th, Chamonix: — soon after the above lines 
were written the writer retired. My partner had some repairs 
to make, hence she did not retire so soon, and when she did so, 
she loitered about it, dividing her attention between the matter 
in hand, and the embers which burned and flickered on the 
hearth. What fascination a wood-fire has for people. My 
partner has never had any experience with wood fires, hence 
her inclination to loiter by and stare at the burning embers 
cannot be said to be cultivated. It is simply the charm that 
they throw over all mortals. At last she was in her couch, 
and I, having uninterrupted view of the flickering fire, lay there 
and stared at it. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 309 

It told a story of long ago about an old home in the country, 
thousands of miles away, in which there were several places for 
such fires, on which wood would be burned in large quantities, 
filling the old house with warmth, and the glow of light. 

The story was spun out too long to write here, when finally 
the embers were consumed, and darkness reigned. What 
happened thereafter, I was not a witness to, until much later in 
the night, when I was roused by, " Oh my ! how lovely ! Do 
come and see ! The stars are shining brightly, and you can see 
Mont Blanc plainly.*' It was all so. The rain, which was falling 
when we retired, had ceased, the clouds had gone away, and 
glittering in the starlight, plainly visible, stood Mont Blanc. I 
had other business on hand, unfinished business, hence one 
glance sufficed. It was, though, very satisfactory to return to 
the warm bed, with reason to believe that a good day was in 
store for us, and that it was yet some hours away. Soon after 
seven o'clock we were out in the frosty air, enjoying the magnifi- 
cence of the cloudless Alps, as they dazzled under the bright 
sun. 

Promptly at eight-thirty the procession started. First the 
guide, then my partner, and lastly the writer. Our object was 
the Mer de Glace, the greatest of the glaciers. In a very few 
minutes we were ascending Montanvert, a mountain sixty-three 
hundred and three feet high, belonging to the Mont Blanc chain. 

The day was perfection, and there were no clouds. The sun 
had undisputed sway, and made use of it. The air was crisp 
and cold, and the ground was white with frost. 

Our rugged exercise and the frosty air brought ruddy hues to 
our faces. As we gazed at the magnificent and unequaled 
scene around us and thought of the days of hope that we had 
just passed through, we called to mind the old adage, that " All 
things come to those who will but wait." 

The path took us up the side of the green mountain under 
trees. Some of the distance the ascent is hard, while in places 
the path runs along the mountain-side quite level, affording 
very acceptable changes. It is the continuous steep climbing 
that is hard, but you can stand hours of mountain-climbing, if 
you have occasional breaks of level walking. 



3IO EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

Before very long we found that the mud in the path was stiff 
with frost, and a half-hour later we saw that it was frozen hard, 
proving that we were fast getting into a country where the 
night had indeed been cold. 

Steadily the tramp kept on, and gradually the distance be- 
tween us and the top of the mountain was shortening, and 
gradually the distance between us and the town in the valley 
was lengthening, and the houses and little fields were growing 
smaller. 

In just two hours from the time we started, we were at the 
Hotel du Montanvert, a massive cut stone building, which 
stands by the side of the glacier Mer de Glace, at an altitude of 
fifty-eight hundred feet. 

Our climbing was now done, the business now being to have 
luncheon, then to cross the glacier, and return down to the 
valley along by the opposite side of the ice monster. For a few 
minutes we stood and looked at it, walked along by the side of 
the gorge and gazed at its creased back, noticed the bend in it 
farther up, and again, as with others of its kind, thought of it as 
a mammoth serpent. 

We ate our lunch, and were ready again for work. Our 
party, now increased by one, a young fellow. Who he was, we 
did not know, but knew we would soon find out. Soon we had 
descended by a rocky and steep path, say two hundred feet, 
and stood by the side of the ice. Then the lad's business be- 
came known ; it was to fire a cannon that we might hear the 
echo. My partner was afraid the gun would explode, and was 
sure of it, and that we would all be killed, when she s^w them 
driving a plug into the gun. I told her to get behind a big 
granite rock that was handy, but she would not stir until I went 
with her. We heard the cannon, I mean the echo. The boy 
preceded us, and cut anew the steps, and soon we were on the 
back of the mighty ice serpent. 

It is much larger than any of the others that we have seen. 
In fact it is the largest one there is. The top, or back of it, 
seemed to be in waves, which run diagonally across from side 
to side. They were fifteen or twenty feet high. Where we 
crossed is but a few minutes below the junction of the three 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 31I 

glaciers, which form the Mer de Glace. Our position on the 
middle of the back of the monster afforded us a perfect view 
of all, and under the brilliant sun, it was a magnificent sight. 
To traverse the Mer de Glace from the lower end up to the 
junction of the three that form it, and then continue on up the 
right hand one of the three to its top on Mont Blanc, takes a good 
mountaineer eighteen hours. 

We crossed several crevices, and came to a kind of twisting 
corkscrew hole, that was about three feet in diameter, into 
which some little rivulets of water were running. My partner 
wanted to look down into the place, and I held her while she 
did so, but she did not see much. 

It is a simple thing to walk across the Mer de Glace, yet 
there is danger. I saw that the guide was careful, and saw 
reasons why he should be. It is not as beautiful in one respect 
as the Glacier des Bossons, owing to the dust and gravel, and 
stones that are on it. It is not so white and clean. In the 
middle of it, hundreds of feet from the sides of the gorge, are 
rocks that will weigh tons ; they roll down from the mountains, 
being started by avalanches. We were a half hour in crossing, 
and we did not loiter. 

Our path returning was very rocky and uneven, and was 
along on the side of the gorge above the glacier. For two 
hours we walked down by it, and gazed at it, and the great Alps 
about. An hour and a half, after starting on the return trip, we 
were at the point where my partner went on to the mighty thing 
three years ago. The lower end of the creature I don't think 
is more than one hundred and fifty feet above the valley, and 
there it is but a few yards wide. The stream that it forms is a 
small swift running brook, not more than six or seven feet wide. 

The point at which we reached the valley, on our descent, is 
three miles from the town, and we had that distance to walk 
after reaching the valley, but it was very easy, for it was along 
the smooth level road, and we had before us, glittering under 
the sunlight, the many peaks of Mont Blanc. 

The walk was soon over, and we were back at the hotel in 
six and a half hours from starting time, while the allotted time 
for that journey is seven hours. I should not neglect to say, 



312 i:UROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

that the trip down the mountain took us over what is called the 
Mauvais Pas. It is a very narrow path on the side of the 
precipice several hundred yards long. Steps are hewn in the 
rock, and there is an iron rod to hold to. It is not a lovely 
place at all. 

From the hotel this morning, we had a view of the observatory 
on the top of Mont Blanc through a telescope. It looked to be 
a building about forty feet square, with immense piles of snow 
about it, and much snow on the roof. We could see the snow 
being blown about, and the observatory, we could see distinctly 
without the glass. 

To-morrow we go to Martigny through the T^te -Noire Pass, 
by diligence. We start at nine o'clock, and arrive at five ; 
thence by rail to Brieg, and thence by state diligence to and 
through the Simplon Pass, into Italy. You see we are going 
through the Alps in the old way. 



LETTER XXXV. 

Martigny, Switzerland, October ^th, 1894. 

The appointed time this morning, nine o'clock, found us 
leaving Chamonix. We were the only passengers, consequently 
the vehicle was a carriage like a victoria, save that it had a 
place behind for baggage. The direction we took was to the 
northwest along the Chamonix Valley in continuation of the 
course by which we had come. 

Again we were favored with fine weather; the day was 
perfect. The sun was bright, there was no wind, and the 
temperature was crisp and frosty: just such a day as we 
frequently have in our country late in October, and early in 
November. 

We rattled along at a lively pace, and were soon passing 
along by the foot of the glacier Mer de Glace, while we kept 
looking back to photograph on our memory the beautiful 
Glacier des Bossons and sparkling Mont Blanc. 

You must imagine the beauty witnessed in a drive through 



KUKOPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 313 

the Valley of Chamonix under such conditions. Far better 
were the conditions than those of midsummer, for then the 
days are very hot, and there is not then the October foliage, 
which is now so entrancingly beautiful. Now, too, the fruit 
and vegetables, the harvests of the perfected year, which you 
see all the time being garnered, lend an air of plenty and com- 
fort. My pen is inadequate, my dear relatives and friends ; you 
must lie back in your easy-chairs, close your eyes, and imagine 
about as follows : — 

You are seated in a comfortable open carriage, which is going 
at a trot along a road that is perfectly smooth, which curves and 
bends frequently, and which occasionally has undulations of 
sufficient importance to reduce the speed to a walk. Near by 
the road is a swift running river, the current being so swift 
that it makes a good deal of noise as it splashes among the 
rocks. It runs in the opposite direction from which you are 
going, which shows that you are ascending. 

The valley through which the road runs is not more than a 
half mile wide at the most, and much of it is less. The left 
boundary is made up of mountains, ranging in altitude from 
six to eight thousand feet. Half the distance between the 
valley and their summit, they are platted into little fields, which 
bear fruit and grass, and vegetables, and abundantly dotted 
about, as high as two thousand feet above you, are the wide 
eave houses peculiar to the country. 

Frequently there will be barren, rocky places, and frequently 
large places covered with timber. It is the evergreen pine, 
rich as in June, beech, sycamore, maple, and chestnut, and 
others whose green foliage of summer is fast departing, and 
leaving in its place the brilliant tints, with which the frosts of 
October come early, and are heavily laden. High above all 
these are the cloudless gray rocks, and all of these, and much 
of the valley are heightened in color by the golden sun. 

This description of the scene on your left, which your imagi- 
nation has produced, will do for the scene on your right, save 
that the mountains on that side of the valley reach an altitude 
of twelve and more thousand feet, and instead of their summits 
resting on gray rocks, they glitter with snow and ice. 



314 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

Often, while you sit there in your easy carriage, a large spot 
of pure white will open to your view, while beneath and about 
it will be blue tints, and it will be some seconds before you 
conclude that what you see are acres of snow, and not a floating 
white cloud. 

Beside the white tops, and the great height of the mountains, 
you see that the side is in shade, and will remain so until the 
sun has passed from behind Mont Blanc, later in the day. 

High up on the sides of the mountains, among the rocks, 
you see the goats, and about you all the time is a small babel 
of the sounds of bells which the cows wear, and standing, or 
sitting about herding the cows, while they feed within re- 
stricted boundaries, will be boys and girls and women. 

Frequently you roll through villages, and as you go by, you 
see about all the population, who will be attracted by the bells 
on your horses. Ahead of you some distance you see a village 
with several imposing looking buildings, which you conclude 
are hotels and you find on arriving that they are. 

You see a. gorge leading from the valley between two very 
high mountains, and see that it is filled with ice. The driver 
tells you it is the glacier d'Argentiere, and soon you are passing 
along by the foot of the mighty serpent-like thing, which 
stretches up and bends along the gorge, and as you come 
opposite the middle of it, and your eye follows it up between 
the mountains, you see that its upper terminus is a sea of ice. 
You consult your guide, and find that the mountains on the 
side of the glacier are the Aiguille Verte, thirteen thousand five 
hundred and forty feet, and the Aiguille du Chardonnet, twelve 
thousand, five hundred and forty feet. 

Now you see that you are ascending, and that the incline is 
quite steep, and the driver leaves his seat and walks. You see 
that yqu are going very slowly, and that the horses have a load. 
You feel like walking, and you spring out too. Your partner 
rests easily in her seat but a few minutes, when out she springs. 
Now you see before you another glacier, and learn that it is the 
glacier du Tour. 

About this time you see that you have ascended many hundred 
feet, and the road bends along the side of the mountain ; then 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 315 

you see that you are going in the reverse direction from before, 
and that the road over which you have passed is far below you to 
your left, and stretching before you is the Chamonix Valley, 
through which you have passed, entirely, and your vision is 
blocked by the snow and glaciers of Mont Blanc. Now you see 
that the road turns to the right and enters a gorge, which you 
know to be the commencement of the Tete Noire Pass, and you 
rest and dwell on it, and paint in your mind the extraordinary 
thing before you, and through which you have passed. And 
that is what you have seen in the morning's ride — so your 
imagination tells you. 

Soon after this we came to a stone with the word " France ' 
engraved deep in it on one side, while engraved on the other, 
was, " En Suisse," and then we were again in Switzerland. Hard 
by was a little custom house, bearing the Swiss cross, and we 
were delayed long enough to open and close one of our satchels. 
Very soon we were in the Tete Noire Pass, and were ascending 
the side of the great gorge on a road which was just eight feet 
wide. On our right was the wall of rock, and on our left, the 
bottomless pit. 

Again we left the carriage, not entirely to ease the horses ; 
but in fact, I felt more comfortable walking beside the precipice 
than riding beside it. This climb lasted an hour or more, and 
here my partner illustrated with the thing itself, save that the 
•day was fine, and there was no snow and ice, her tramp through 
the Tete Noire Pass, and from Chamonix to Martigny, three 
years ago last May the loth. She said, "Now this is the 
tunnel where I thought the people who were following us had 
entered into collusion with the guide to make away with me. I 
heard them talking about the tunnel and the gorge." It certainly 
is a suitable place, and now since we have been over the entire 
route, it seems to me impossible that any woman could have 
walked it, under the condition of. snow and ice that existed 
then. 

In one place, where our side of the gorge was perpendicular, 
as it is much of the way, the mountain on the other side slanted 
enough to allow trees to grow. The gorge is very narrow, and 
high up on the side of the other mountain, or better, high up on 



3l6 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

the other side of the gorge, is a narrow plateau of land, on which 
there are a couple of villages. By counting the pine trees below 
them, between them and the bottom of the gorge, I estimate that 
they were at least two thousand feet above the roaring water in 
the gorge. 

The driver told us that the only way the people had of get- 
ting back and forth from the world was by a narrow foot- 
path. Soon the little towns will be surrounded by snow, feet 
deep. 

We stopped an hour and a half for dinner in the T^te Noire 
Pass, then we met the carriage of the same line as ours, which 
was en route for Chamonix. The passengers by it were two ladies 
from Detroit. We had a little chat with them, and then we went 
on our diiferent ways. 

For a short time after dinner we descended and got down 
into a narrow valley between very high mountains. Soon we 
passed through the valley and commenced to ascend. We saw 
that the hill was a long one, and as the horses were compelled 
to go very slowly, my partner and I again left the carriage, and 
walked. Soon we left the carriage far behind us, and when we 
had passed over the mountain some time, we sat down and 
waited until the conveyance came along, and then got in 
again. 

About this time the Rhone Valley and Martigny came into 
view below us, and in the distance, beyond them were the 
white tops of the Bernese Alps, and again we had a view, though 
distant, of Jungfrau, Monch, Eiger, andFinsteraarhorn. We are 
now on the opposite side of them from where we were when we 
were at Interlachen. 

The valley and town seemed very near, and a half-hour abund- 
ant time to end our journey for the day, especially as it was 
downhill all the distance. When we were on the mountain top, 
or rather where the road goes over, which we had just walked' 
ahead of the carriage, we were thirty-five hundred and sixty 
feet above Martigny, and from the time we saw the town, until we 
halted at the hotel, we consumed two and a half hours. 

The road was a continuation of perfect loops and curves, un- 
til we were in the valley. Frequently we would ride some 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 317 

minutes, and upon looking up would see the road above us fifty 
or a hundred feet, over which we had passed, and below us the 
same distance the continuation of the road. The view of the 
mountains as 3^ou come down is very beautiful, and many might 
think it equal to Chamonix, but I think the valley of Chamonix 
more beautiful than the Rhone. 

Zermatt, Tuesday, October 9th : — We left Martigny to-day in 
continuation of our journey into Italy, our route from there being 
by rail to Brieg, and thence by diligence through the Simplon 
Pass. The railway took us the length of the Rhone Valley, which 
it left near a little town, Visp by name. There we left the 
train at a few minutes after two o'clock, and at three left Visp 
by a mountain railway, and came here, twenty-two miles, to see 
the group of Alps, among which is the Matterhorn, Breithorn, 
and others. 

Much of the distance from Visp the road is arranged with the 
cog system, and the locomotive climbs. This is explained by 
the altitude, which is fifty-three hundred and fifteen feet here. 
We were two and a half hours coming the twenty-two miles, and 
they were hours of intense interest, owing to the great gorge by 
which we rode, and the mountains and glaciers which occupied 
our attention. 

I will say right here that Switzerland is the most honest 
country that we have been in. No matter what it is that may 
be recommended to you, a gorge, a great mountain, a beautiful 
valley, a glacier, a waterfall, or anything else, when you have 
spent your money, and toiled to see it, you feel fully repaid, and 
you don't feel that the story is exaggerated. It will not be long, 
at the present rate of building, until everything of interest can be 
visited by rail. 

When my partner was in Switzerland before there was not 
any railroad here. Soon the echoes of Chamonix Valley and Tete 
Noire Pass will answer the locomotive whistle, for the stakes 
planted this summer indicate the line for a railroad. It will not 
be long until going through the Alps the old way will be entirely 
ended, as there will be railroads in all the passes. I believe that 
Simplon Pass, and St. Bernard Pass, are all that are left now of 
the old routes into Italy. 



3l8 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

These railways are wonderful feats of engineering. To see 
some of them causes surprise at the rashness of the proposition 
to build roads in such places. Many of them don't run but a 
part of the year, though they are compelled to run six months, 
by the terms of the concession from the Government. It costs 
to ride on the climbers ! We paid, to come from Visp here, 
twenty-two miles, three dollars and twenty cents each. 

We have noticed since we left Geneva, that we are not among 
as nice people as we met in Switzerland up to our leaving there. 
They are not so polite, and are not so cleanly. I think it indi- 
cates that we are nearing Italy. 

Wednesday, October loth, Zermatt: — At half-past seven 
this morning we were at breakfast, and knowing that we had a 
very hard climb before us, we laid in some extra solids. The 
business on hand was to visit the Riffelberg and Corner Grat. 

Immediately on being seated at table, a gentleman opposite, 
an Englishman, whom we decided was a professor or other 
professional man, perhaps a doctor, asked us, " Do you intend 
going to the Gorner Grat ? " " Yes," we answer, " we do." Said 
he, " You must take your lunch, for you cannot get any on the 
trip, as the places are all closed." We thanked him, and di- 
rected the servant to have some bread and meat and cheese pre- 
pared for us. At table we learned that the Englishman was going, 
but as he was lame, he had ordered a mule, and boy to lead it. 
There was also at the table two German ladies, who were going, 
and they had employed a guide to show them the route, and to 
carry their lunch and wraps. 

There was a little delay about the lunch, which, when the 
maid handed it to me, \^as wrapped in paper, but not tied. It 
seemed an age before she found a string, and seeing my hurry 
to get off the honest girl blushed, and tried in about four lan- 
guages to explain, that she could not find the string sooner. As 
usual I was ashamed of myself, and promptly restored the 
equanimity of the maid by handing her a half franc, and we 
parted friends. 

It was just ten minutes after eight when we headed the sally. 
The rest did not get off for some minutes after. Soon we had 
passed out of the little town, by the church, had crossed the 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 319 

very swift running Visp by a foot-bridge, passed between some 
little houses among the goats and cows, had crossed a httle 
brook, that came tumbhng down from the mountain, then 
crossed a pasture field or two, and were ascending the Riffel- 
berg by a bridle-path. Again we were favored by a perfect 
day. The mud, which sunset had left in the path, was frozen 
stiff. The wind did not blow at all, and the calm air was crisp 
and frosty. 

We were on the shady side of the mountain, hence only saw 
the bright light of the sun as it lighted the tops of the mountains 
about us. The path was in timber much of the time, and the 
foliage, the gorgeous thing of this time of the year. 

On our right across a narrow ravine towered the Matterhorn, 
fourteen thousand, seven hundred and five feet. Towered is 
the right word for it, as four or five thousand feet of the top, on 
three sides, presents almost straight sides. They slant enough 
to come to a sharp point at the summit, and this portion, being 
small for a mountain of such immense height, and being only 
rock, it quite resembles an enormous tower. 

The path is rough and stony, and very steep much of the 
way, but we made good progress. About an hour after we had 
started, we saw the Englishman below us coming on his horse, 
and saw that he was gaining on us. 

About this time we came to snow, and it covered the ground 
an inch or two, but was not in the path. It had fallen within 
'the last few days. An hour more, two hours after starting, 
we were at the Riffelalp, where the altitude is seventy-three 
hundred and five feet. We had ascended nineteen hundred 
and ninety feet, and had gained a half-hour on the allotted 
time. 

At this time the Englishman caught up with us. He was not 
entirely happy, for instead of furnishing him a mule, a horse 
had been supplied, and he said he did not feel as secure, be- 
cause he thought a mule much more sure-footed. I think he 
was right about that ; beside this, the boy who led the horse 
only spoke German, and as the rider only spoke English and 
French, there was another 'cause for dissatisfaction. We all 
stood in the grounds of the now closed hotel, and chatted, and 



320 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

rested a few minutes, gazed at the mountains, and then went 
on, this time the rider taking the lead. 

Here the snow was deeper, and the path covered with crisp 
rough ice, and the walking slippery. There were no trees about 
us now, all was snow. In half an hour we came to where the 
path, was very icy and steep. The horseman stopped and 
waited until we came up, and just then a man came down the 
path, riding a mule, who said it was very icy. This caused our 
friend to decide to turn back. He said on account of being 
crippled, he felt nervous when mounted. We felt sorry for 
him, for he was much interested in the mountains and 
glaciers. 

We found the path, as the unknown man had said, very steep 
and icy. At eleven o'clock we were at the closed Rilfel Hotel, 
and had added eleven hundred and twenty-five feet more to 
our ascent. We were very thirsty from the rugged work, and 
finding a line of wooden troughs, which conducted water down 
from the mountain to the hotel, we drank from the little silver 
stream in the trough, and felt refreshed. 

On we climbed, now in snow quite deep in the path, and 
deep snow all about us. We had come out of the shade, and 
were in the sun, and we felt that, reflected from the snow, it 
was burning our faces. The walk kept growing harder, because 
the incline was very steep, and the hot sun was fast converting 
the snow, in the path, into slush and mud, but we tugged on. 
At half-past twelve we reached the summit of Corner Grat, al- 
titude ten thousand, two hundred and ninety feet, and we were 
forty-nine hundred and seventy-five feet above Zernatt, and we 
were very glad of it. The small hotel there, now like the others, 
is closed. Again we were thirsty, and finding where the water 
was trickling down from the roof of the hotel into a trough, we 
again had plenty of ice water. We went to the sunny side of 
the building, for while the sun was hot, and the snow was melt- 
ing, the air was cold ; and we much enjoyed our bread and 
meat, and cheese. 

We then walked about, and enjoyed, wondered, and marveled 
at the wonderful and indescribable thing which we had labored 
to see. We stood facing south. Across a narrow gorge to our 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 32 1 

right was the Matterhorn, entirely covered with snow, save where 
it was so perpendicular that the snow would not remain. Im- 
mediately in front of us, with comparatively smooth surface, 
was the Breithorn, glittering under the bright sunlight like a 
mountain of silver. Then en me Pollux and Castor, Lyskamm, 
and the magnificent Monte ICosa. All of the above, covered 
with virgin white, were immediately before us, and seemingly 
but the throw of a stone distant, and now to do his part, and to 
make amends for his treatment of us for the last several months, 
the sun beamed over the whole to perfection. 

Stretching down from the mountains, their tops being on a 
level with us across the ravine, were their glaciers, eleven of 
them, and forming in the valley the enormous Corner glacier. 
It is the most stupendous Alpine and glacial scene that we have 
witnessed. 

After viewing the above we turned about to the left, and 
found that we were surrounded with a circle of Snow Alps. 
In the circle are twenty-seven of the giants, and they obstructed 
the view of all else, save the blue sky and the sun. We felt 
well paid for our effort, and again taking a good look at the 
wonderful thing, started down the mountain. 

While there, we saw how insignificant is man's genius and 
energy in the Alps sometimes. How almost certainly futile, to 
save ourselves, would have been our efforts in case of a sudden, 
and continued snow-storm, such as frequently comes at this 
time of the year. Immediately the path would have been 
covered. 

Some time after we had been descending, we met the German 
ladies with their guide. They were having very hard climbing ; 
harder than we had, because the path had become so muddy 
and wet. We told them that they had yet an hour of very 
hard Work, before they would reach the summit, and encouraged 
them to keep on to the top, as they would feci well repaid. 

We arrived at the hotel at three-thirty, and much surprised 
the people by the short time in which we had made the trip. 
It was not very long after our return, until my partner was 
snugly covered on the bed, and sound asleep, where she re- 
mained until about time for dinner, six-thirty. 
21 



322 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

The German ladies did not get back until six-thirty, but were 
well pleased that they completed the very hard journey. The 
sun and snow formed a combination that burned our faces 
furiously ; my partner's is almost scarlet, and I think the outer 
skin will peel off. 

We were favored to-night with an extraordinary thing that 
occurs in the Alps quite rarely, and that has not occurred before 
during this year ; it is called The Glow of the Alps. Some time 
after sundown, the tops of the mountains become bright copper- 
color. When we looked at it to-night, it reminded me of the 
red light that you occasionally see over a fire in the city. It is not 
caused by the sun, and it is not known what causes it. The 
Glow of the Alps. I think it came to-night for the benefit of 
my partner and myself. 

We leave to-morrow at eleven o'clock for Brieg, and thence 
on into Italy, and now my dear relatives and friends, you have 
cause to be happy, for I am about done writing about Switzer- 
land and glaciers. Pleased, are you not ? 

The next will tell you of our trip into Italy through the Sim- 
plon Pass. 



LETTER XXXVI. 

Brieg, Switzerland, October nth, 1894. 

At nine-thirty this a. m. we left the hotel Mont Rose, in 
Zermatt, and walked to the station. My partner walked with 
considerable difficulty, owing to blistered toes, and being tired 
as the result of our hard tramp yesterday. We saw the German 
ladies, and they too, walked very carefully, and carried very 
red faces. 

Our walk took us to the railway station, where we le'ft our 
umbrellas and package of necessary articles, and walked on, 
intending to be there again at half-past eleven in time for the train 
to Visp, and thence to this place. We passed on by the station 
down the valley, and by the side of the roaring Visp, until we 
were out of the town, with unobstructed view of the mountains, 
then we turned into a pasture field, and sat down on the grass. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 323 

We had a perfect view of the Riffelberg up which we had 
climbed yesterday, and could see plainly the Riffel Hotel, and 
above it, high above where the clouds usually are, we could 
see the steep side of the Gorner Grat, and above it the grand 
tops of Breithorn, and Mont Rose. On the right was the Mat- 
terhorn, stiff and tower-like, but not beautiful. Immediately in 
front of us stretched the great Gorner glacier, which furnishes 
the water for the splashing stream by us. 

Beside the wonderfully magnificent scene which we gazed upon, 
we were interested in the babble of bells about us ; cow and 
goat bells in uncountable numbers, and as many tones. Then 
too, a shepherdess, while she herded the flock on the mountain 
side and knitted, sang the carol peculiar to Switzerland. I have 
heard the same carol a number of times on the stage, and several 
times since we have been in Switzerland. It is peculiarly Swiss 
and Tyrolean, and the girl who sang it sweetly this morning, 
was knitting and herding the cattle. 

We have noticed several times how distinctly everything is 
heard in this country. The mountains confine the sound, and 
when the wind does not blow, you hear sounds very distinctly 
that in an open place would immediately be lost. In conse- 
quence of this, while climbing the mountains, and walking the 
valleys, you hear a babble of sounds, voices, bells, song, and the 
calls of animals and fowls. 

While I have written many pages about Switzerland, there 
are many things in which we have been interested, that must 
necessarily be neglected, while perhaps there has been some 
written which did not interest you and had better been 
omitted. 

In looking over my note-book, I find a notation about shrines. 
Wherever you go, frequently you are passing them. Sometimes 
it will be a plain wooden cross, ten feet high, and another one 
will be a crucifix, perhaps seven feet high, protected on the top 
and three sides, while the side facing the path or road will be 
open. Frequently it will be a small crucifix on top of a post. 
Many of these are entirely plain, without even paint, while others 
will be quite costly and fine. There are very many of them. 

The goats and their character have interested us much. I doubt 



324' EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

if there are any places in Switzerland where people go, that the 
goats don't go, unless it is on the glaciers, and to places that have 
to be reached by ladders. No mountain is too high, or path too 
steep and rocky for those fellows. They all have two horns, that 
grow from the top of the forehead, and then turn back. Their 
coat now is long and shaggy. 

They have three colors. White and black predominate, but 
occasionally brown takes the place of black. Many of them 
will be half black and half white. With much the greater portion 
the after-half will be white^ and the fore-half black ; sometimes, 
though, this rule will be reversed. Occasionally you will see 
them with one side white, and the other black, but not frequently. 
I don't know whether this peculiarity of color has been culti- 
vated, or whether nature has provided it so that they can be 
seen on the mountains whether there be snow or not. In 
Chamonix last Sunday morning we heard a number of plaintive 
sounding notes being played on a horn, and repeated several 
times, and wondered what it meant. I suggested to my partner 
that possibly it was to call the people to worship, but later our 
guide told us that it was a shepherd calling the goats. 

While going from Visp to Zermatt, we saw on the opposite 
side of the gorge, fully fifteen hundred feet above us, winding 
along a path on the side of a mountain, a long string of goats 
following a man. We counted enough to see that there were 
more than a hundred. They looked very funny indeed, in fact 
as though a man was pulling after him a rope, on which were 
hung black and white flags. 

I see another notation ; this time about the rigid economy 
which the people practice. For instance, we saw a woman a 
few days ago among the rocks on the mountain-side, cutting 
weeds and thistles, and tying them into bundles. They were 
for feed for the goats in winter. We have seen the people 
raking and gathering up the fallen leaves under the trees, and 
they too were for feed. The potato vines are carefully cured 
and saved. These are only a few illustrations. 

Hundreds of thousands of people live high on the mountains, 
there being no communication with the towns in the valleys but 
the steep zigzag paths. And everything that goes to their 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 325 

homes from the towns must be carried up the mountains by 
people or mules. In thousands and thousands of cases these 
homes and many villages, will be four and five hours' climbing 
from the valley. 

Frequently the tillable land that a family has, will be but a 
few acres, and it will be divided into little patches among the 
rocks, frequently as small as twenty feet square, or less, and 
these little patches will be cultivated to the highest degree of 
perfection, with grain and fruit and vegetables. These scatter- 
ing patches of ground and the goats furnish the living for many 
thousands of people. 

We have been much impressed with the evidences of this 
rigid economy, and the drudgery that is entailed on the people 
of the country by the barren mountain wastes. What patience 
they must be born with, and must cultivate and practice, and 
what endurance they must have ! And then, the incalculable 
drudgery that goes with every day, and every act. 

As we came down from the mountain into Martigny, Monday, 
we came to a young man, who had early in the day dragged a 
heavy hand-cart high up the mountain. He could not have 
done it in less than four hours, and then only by almost super- 
human efforts. He had gathered limbs and twigs from under 
and from the trees, until he had in the cart about a cord of 
them. Behind the cart, tied to it with a rope, and dragging on 
the road were some bushes, on which he had placed a big 
stone. These acted as a brake, and helped him to control the 
cart, as he went down the mountain. 

For fully an hour he, with his cart, was immediately ahead 
of our carriage, and then he turned out and we passed him. 
He was yet a long distance from the valley, and night was 
near by. 

It seems to me that the very many railroads, that are con- 
stantly being built on the mountains and in the valleys, will 
eventually work a great change in the lives and customs of the 
people. 

They build them now on almost any mountain, and where 
they go money and people go. Of course the land must be 
tilled, what there is, and the goats must be herded, but the im- 



326 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

provements that are constantly making are bringing comforts 
to the people, and awakening ambitions in them. 

The locomotive is a civilizer, and a revolutionizer. 

The time for our train came along, and we left the pasture 
and w^alked back to the station, and soon were moving through 
the wonderful gorge, and leaving Zermatt behind us. 

At Visp we picked up our baggage where we had left it, and 
very soon, by another train through the valley of the Rhone, 
were nearing this place. We were here shortly after three, and 
having eaten some dinner, went out and walked about the 
Italian-like town, and looked at it and the mountains. Our 
walk took us to the edge of the town, and through an avenue 
of beautiful Lombardy poplars. This is their home, and they 
are much finer trees than they are in our country. Many of 
these were three feet in diameter, very tall and gracefully 
proportioned. 

We are now booked for Domo d'Ossola in Italy, by Govern- 
ment diligence, through the Simplon Pass, over a road built by 
Napoleon, 1800 and 1806. We leave at seven in the morning. 
Good-night. 

Baveno, Italy, Friday, October 12th, eight-thirty p. m. — The 
tops of the snow-covered Alps, w^hich surround Brieg, were 
just beginning to respond to the rising sun by showing yellow 
in places, when a rap on our door announced that it was six 
o'clock, and time for us to be moving. It was yet quite dark 
in the little town, and it was some hours later before the sun, 
in its tour, reached a place where it could send its bolts be- 
tween the mountains, and replace the shade over the town. 

Some minutes before the starting-time, we were at the con- 
gregating and starting-place of the diligences, which is the 
Post and Telegraph Bureau. The Government of Switzerland 
owns and conducts the diligences, and they are called Federal 
Diligences. 

The one which carried us took the lead. It is much like the 
old-fashioned stage coach, with which you are all familiar, save 
that under the driver's box is a compartment, with doors on 
the sides like the middle, or ordinary compartment in the old- 
fashioned coach, which holds two people. Beside this, there 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 327 

is, high up behind, a seat for two with an ordinary buggy top 
to cover it, which can be let down, or kept up as may be re- 
quired by the weather. This is higher than the top of the 
coach. There are not any seats on the roof of the coach, and 
the baggage and express matter is carried there, while under 
the high covered seat described above, is a compartment for 
mail and valuables. The high covered seat is called, the 
coupe banquette. 

We were fortunate in being early after our seats yesterday, 
and secured the Coupe Banquette. We had five horses, two 
at the wheels, and three abreast 'ahead. The coach that fol- 
low^ed us was not so large as ours, in that it did not have the 
coupe banquette or place for mail. It had four horses, and 
besides these a single horse victoria was required, it being the 
practice to send all the travelers that may apply. 

Our coach carried eight passengers, the conductor, baggage, 
express and mail matter, and driver. The next had eight pas- 
sengers and driver, and the victoria had two passengers and 
driver. 

We started promptly at seven o'clock, the morning was per- 
fect, cloudless, without wind, cool and frosty. Immediately we 
commenced to ascend the mountain, which was steep enough to 
make the vehicles very heavy for the horses, and they, of 
course, could not go faster than a walk. 

The route took us among cultivated fields, and fruit, and 
pasture lands, along the side of and up the mountain for some 
time, while we had the valley, town and river on our left, and 
on the mountains opposite, plainly visible, were some glaciers, 
among them the Aletsch Glacier, a grand one. 

A thing that attracted our attention very soon, was a Pilgrim 
church, which was located some distance on the mountain-side 
above us, and the oratories which are stationed by the path 
(at regular intervals) leading to the church. • The church and 
the oratories are whitewashed stone, and are kept very white. 
The oratories are little houses, say eight feet square, and eight 
high. They each contain a crucifix, and perhaps other things 
used in Catholic worship, and they are fourteen in number, one 
for each station of the cross. 



328 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

It is required of the pilgrims that they kneel and pray in 
each of the oratories as they approach the church. We have 
seen several of these Pilgrim churches, and will undoubtedly 
see more of them soon. 

About an hour after starting the road turned, and we turned 
exactly around to the right, and were going in the opposite 
direction, still ascending, with the town, valley and mountains 
on our right. About this time we left the cultivated land, and 
were in the timber under the wonderful foliage. 

The road, which, as I have told you, was built by Napoleon, 
is an excellent one, I should say twenty-two feet wide. There 
is not any wall on the precipice side much of the way. There 
is, though, about three feet from the precipice a row of stones, 
planted about six feet apart, and two feet, or nearly so, high. 
I suppose it was thought by the builder that they would prevent 
a vehicle from going over the precipice, and then it must be so 
that the snow can be pushed over the precipice. 

Finally we were back at the part of the mountain at which 
we had started, save that we were very much higher up. Then 
we passed around the mountain, and were on the opposite side 
of it from the starting-place, Brieg. This mountain is the 
Klenenhorn, eighty-eight hundred and forty feet. There are 
frequently along the road, I should say two miles, or less, 
apart, buildings, stone houses. They are inhabited and are 
called refuges. They are intended to furnish protection to 
travelers. In three hours we had reached the third refuge, 
and an altitude of five thousand and six feet. Then we passed 
along the inner side of the mountain, and crossed the gorge 
between it and the one on the opposite side, and then turned 
back on it, and did exactly what we did on the first one. 

At this place I left my seat, and with another passenger, an 
Englishman, walked a long time. My partner thought she 
would rest her tifed and sore feet, and not walk. We walked a 
long time, got far ahead of the coaches, and waited for them. 
About eleven o'clock we were above the timber line, and the 
mountains were almost barren rock. Several times we passed 
through what are called galleries. They are stone buildings 
over the road, to protect it from avalanches. There is, though. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 329 

much trouble from avalanches. The moisture in these galleries 
is frozen into icicles. 

At twelve o'clock we were at the highest point in the Simplon 
Pass, sixty-five hundred and ninety feet, and near there stopped 
at the Simplon Hospice, founded by Napoleon. In 1825 it 
came under the ownership and control of the St. Bernard 
Hospice. It is a plain stone building, about a hundred and 
fifty feet long, and four stories high. 

A stop of a few minutes is made at the hospice, and we all 
entered the stone barracks-like place. Stone floors and cor- 
ridors met us on all sides. We entered a large room, in the 
middle of which stood a table, on which was a tureen of soup. 
Boiled milk and rice, hot. My partner took a bowl of it from 
one of the attending monks, and greatly relished it. 

There was also Schweizer kase, wine and brod. We were 
cold and hungry, and the lunch was good. Two monks were 
in attendance, very temperate-looking, refined, virell-mannered 
men. My partner said to one of them, that we would like to leave 
a small offering. He told her he would show us to the chapel. 

Adjoining the room in which was the table, and around which 
we stood, was a large kitchen, supplied with a large cooking 
range and utensils. We entered it and looked about, and it felt 
good to be in a warm room. The attendants in this room were 
a couple of women, a man or two, and the largest St. Bernard 
-dog that I ever saw. He was cross and surly, and the only one 
in the establishment who received my partner's attentions un- 
civilly. 

We followed the white-haired monk to the chapel, where he 
showed me the offering-box, and told us the names of the saints 
who adorned the walls in frescoes. Having dropped a couple 
or three francs in the box, and shaken hands with the refined 
old man by us, carrying with us his wishes for a safe journey, 
we stepped out on the threshold. 

The view from the entrance of the hospice is anything but 
cheerful, and we saw it under most favorable circumstances. 
The day was fine, and the heavy snow of winter has not yet 
fallen. About us, though, were patches of snow, and the wind 
was cold and wintry. The pass is only a few hundred yards 



330 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

wide, there are not any trees, and the grass is thin and poor. 
Surrounding are the sYiow and glacier covered mountains. The 
thought of Hving in such a place makes us shudder, and we 
think of a grand city by an inland ocean thousands of miles away, 
in a big country where the sunshine is warm. Not far from the 
hospice is the old one, a square tower-like building now occupied 
by herders.' 

Soon after leaving the hospice we were at the village of Sim- 
plon, where we stopped an hour, and had dinner. 

The old hotel is the De La Poste. We passed again through 
stone corridors, and up granite steps into the dining-room, with 
stone floor and open fire. The dinner was good, and the fire hot. 
My partner was glad to tarry by it until the coaches were ready. 

After leaving the t^ospice we commence the descent, and the 
gait is changed to the extreme opposite from that which we had 
before. The coach is allowed to go just about as fast as the 
decline will make it go, and all that is required of the horses is 
to keep out of the way of it, or rather ahead of it. While we 
had by far the best seats, we did not appreciate all their quali- 
ties, until we began to fly around the very short bends, and got 
the benefit of the swings that our high and extended rear posi- 
tion afforded. Then we had the full benefit of the coupe 
banquette. 

A half an hour after dinner we enter the Ravine of Gondo, 
which Baedecker tells us is one of the wildest and grandest 
gorges in the Alps. Down it rushes the Diveria, and for an 
hour you are appalled by the stupendous formation of rock and 
earth. The great walls grow steeper, and higher, and the gorge 
narrower, until you gaze at them spell-bound. 

Finally the gorge begins to widen, the walls to recede and 
slope, the heights to diminish, and patches of land are about you. 
These features increase, until you frequently come to, and roll 
through villages. 

About two hours after dinner you pass a small ravine, leading 
up into the mountain to your left, on one side of which is a post 
and sign-board, which bears the word " Suisse," while on the 
other is a solid massive granite column, in which, cut deep, is the 
word " Italia," and then you know you are in Italia. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 33 1 

Immediately you are at Iselle, and in the presence of the 
Italian customs ofhcer, who delays you a half an hour. At four 
o'clock you leave the valley, which the great gorge has become, 
and come out onto a beautiful wide valley, dotted about with 
villages, and grand villas. The Alps are behind you, and Italy 
before you. At four-thirty the coach halts at the railway 
station in Domo d' Ossola, and your ride of forty-one miles is 
ended. 

From eleven o'clock, when we left the timber, until three in 
the afternoon, when we were leaving the Ravine of Gonda, the 
experience of our passage through the Simplon Pass was very 
different from any we have had. It seems to me that it is a 
thing of itself. It is not beautiful, for beauty is entirely pleas- 
ing. It is not grand, for grandeur carries beauty with it. It is 
not magnificent, for magnificence is the superlative of grandeur 
and beauty. I can think of but two words which expresses the 
qualities of the extraordinary thing, and they are appalling and 
weird. It is so different from w'hat we have seen, and from 
what we expected, so enormous, so stern, so fierce, that it is 
appalling. Artistically it is described by the one word, weird. 
The memory of the Simplon Pass will ^tay with us. 

At Domo d'Ossola we met a character, which you see oc- 
casionally in America, and who interested us much, a porter, 
or hustler about the station. He met us at the coach, seized 
our baggage, and marched us into the building to a waiting 
place, where he informed us that our train would depart in an 
hour. Then he asked if we \vanted to change any money, and 
told us he would give us twenty-one francs in Italian paper 
for twenty francs in gold. We knew this was not premium 
enough, but it was too late to get into the bank, and as we 
would not get any premium from the railroads, and hotels, we 
had him change a little. Then he informed us that our baggage 
would be safe, and that we could walk about, if we wished to do 
so. 

It was market-day for live stock in the town, and we walked 
about among the people, and stock, and saw both. The stock 
was of very ordinary quality, but the people were better than 
American Italians. 



332 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

At six-twenty we left by rail for Gravellona-Toce, distant 
twenty miles. Our friend was on hand to help us in the car- 
riage, and though capitalist that he was, he thanked us very 
politely for the centimes, which I dropped into his hand. I 
told my partner to tell him he ought to live in Chicago, and 
that he would soon be rich. He laughed and bowed as the 
train rnoved away. 

In Switzerland we rode in carriages marked, 



" Nichtraucher , y^j 
Non Fumers." 






Meaning, Not smokers, third class. Here we ride in those 
marked, 

" Vietato fumare — II." 

Meaning, Not smoker, second class. 

Night was on when we left the train at Gravellona-Toce, and 
entered the diligence for this place, Baveno, distant three 
miles. The full moon and clouds were struggling for predomi- 
nance, with the moon uppermost the greater part of the time. 
The road lay along the shore of Lake Maggiore, and the combi- 
nation of water, moonlight, hills, villages, and villas, was very 
beautiful. 

From here we start to-morrow and make the trip of the Italian 
Lakes, and the next will tell you about it. 

While the above seems to have been written at Baveno, it is 
in fact written in part, the latter part, in Bellagio, Sunday, the 
14th, where it will be mailed to-morrow, the 15th. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 333 



LETTER XXXVII. 

Bellagio, Lake Como, Italy, October \^th, 1894. 

You cannot imagine what a radical difference we felt in the 
temperature at Baveno from what we had experienced in the 
Alps. For several nights, where we had been, it was so cold, 
that I wrote with the cape of my overcoat on, and a covering 
over my knees, beside my regular clothing. At Baveno, though, 
we were down from our high altitude on the Mediterranean side 
of the Alps, and ordinary clothing was enough. Instead of 
ordering additional blankets, and then piling our clothing on 
the beds, we found that the beds as prepared were comfortable, 
and that we were warm. 

Yesterday morning the sun was bright in Baveno, and like 
the American sun was warm. We went out for a walk, wearing 
light wraps, which we immediately found to be oppressive, and 
we removed them. Our walk took us to the Villa Clara, a 
grand mansion which was occupied for a time by the Emperor 
Frederick of Germany, also once by Queen Victoria. We were 
told that we would be admitted to the mansion, but on applying 
we were told that only they were admitted who wanted to in- 
spect the house with a view of buying. We were not of that 
number, hence passed on. We walked about the beautiful 
grounds under the grape arbors, and by the lemon trees, loaded 
with ripening fruit, and back to the town. 

We wanted to visit two beautifully improved islands in the 
lake near by the shore, and were told by the hotel proprietor, 
that it could easily be done in a small boat, in two and a half 
hours. We went down to the shore, where there was a row of 
boats and a bevy of boatmen. My partner, of course, did the 
talking. She does it all nowadays, and is happy. I hardly 
know what is going on. Immediately the boat laddies said in 
chorus, that the trip could not be made in less than three hours. 



331 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

We did not have three hours to give the expedition, and be 
back for the twelve o'clock boat. 

My partner argued the case, telling the men that the hotel 
man had said that two and a half hours were plenty, but the 
rascals were determined to get three hours' business out of the 
job, and were obdurate. I said, " Come away, we will not go." 
We walked away and sat down under some trees on a stone 
bench, where the yellow leaves were falling about us, and 
watched a row of thirteen women washing clothing in the edge 
of the lake. 

The boat fellows held a consultation, and one of them came 
over where we were and opened negotiations again with my 
partner. My partner wanted to go, but I was stubborn and 
mean. I sat on the edge of the bench, with my back partly 
turned toward the others, and drew the figure of a shield in the 
sand with my cane, while I listened to the conversation. My 
attitude was a kind of bad boy attitude. 

The boatman's voice sounded smooth and easy, a little plain- 
tive, as he • offered about everything possible, even to a price 
which we knew was very loWo It reminded me of Salvini's voice 
in the scene in Othello, where he appears before the Duke and 
Desdemona, but I was inexorable ; and finally my partner said 
something to him, I don't know what it was, but he appeared 
to understand her situation, and walked quietly away. 

Soon after we saw him leisurely pulling at his oars, while 
under the awning of his little craft sat some English ladies, and 
as he looked up at us, it is likely he thought, " There is a very 
nice woman, who has a very mean husband." 

Twelve o'clock came, and with it the boat, but not until after 
we had taken a long walk on the shore of the lake, and had 
loitered back. 

Lake Maggiore is thirty-seven miles long, and from one and 
a half to three miles wide, and is twenty-eight hundred feet deep 
in some places. Our ride took us from twelve until two-thirty, 
during which time we ate our dinner under the awning, on the 
deck of the boat. 

The lake is on the boundary between Switzerland and Italy, 
and some of the shore belonojs to each of them. The shores 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 335 

are generally mountains, though not as high as those we have 
been seeing, and their sides allow cultivation, and places for 
villages and villas, of which there are many. It is a very beauti- 
ful body of water, with beautiful surroundings, and to us yester- 
day it was exceptionally fine, for it was calm and warm. There 
was not the cold wind and rain, which has followed us on so many 
of the lakes. We left the boat at Luino at two-thirty, and took 
seats in a car on a little narrow-gauge railway for an hour, or 
less, when we were at Ponte Tresa, Lake Lugano, where we 
took another boat. The ride on the train was interesting, as it 
took us through vineyards and country, fragrant with vegeta- 
tion. Flowers were in bloom about us, and it seemed that we 
had entered the tropics. 

After leaving Ponte Tresa, \vhen the collector came along for 
our fare, I handed him Italian paper money. He asked me for 
coin, stating that we were then in Switzerland, and if he took 
the Italian paper, it must be at a heavy discount. We gave him 
the coin, and so we were again in Switzerland. 

Lake Lugano, we judge by the map and scale of miles, to be 
about twenty-two miles long, and it is not wider than an ordi- 
nary American river. It is very crooked, and winds among the 
mountains resembling exactly a crooked river. The mountains 
are more rugged than those bordering Maggiore, hence the 
scenery is fiercer, but very beautiful. 

After being on the boat an hour and a half, during which 
time we had steamed entirely around a mountain, and had 
stopped at two or three towns, we found ourselves at the town 
of Lugano, an important winter resort, two miles across a neck 
of land from Ponte Tresa, where we had embarked. Here we 
changed boats, and at five-thirty started for Porlezza, where we 
arrived about six-thirty. The air was warm and balmy, the 
water calm, and the twilight ride very interesting. 

At Porlezza we again boarded a very narrow gauge railroad, 
and at seven-thirty five were at Menaggio on Lake Como. From 
there a little steamboat brought us in a few moments to this place, 
Bellagio, which is on the point of land formed by the junction of 
Lake Lecco with Lake Como. This is an important summer 
resort, and there are a number of fine hotels, and many fine villas. 



336 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

We were too tired to do anything but retire, after our arrival 
last light. To-day my partner went to church, and we have 
written some, and walked about some, looked at the villas, 
hotels, and the calm, beautiful lake, and have inhaled the flower- 
perfumed air. In our walk this evening, we were interested to 
stop and listen to singing by female voices, which came from 
the lake. We could not see any boat, but the singing was by 
people in a boat, though it may have been mermaids. It matters 
not ; it sounded very sweetly. 

I neglected to say, that at Lugano we were still in Switzer- 
land, but soon entered Italy, where we will be now, until we 
leave it for home, by way of Rome, Paris and London, from the 
Bay of Naples, about November 8th, or loth. 

Monday, October 15th : — The sun rose bright and warm this 
morning. The calm lake, balmy air, fragrance from the bloom- 
ing flowers, all together seemed to say, " Come on," Our first 
work was to mail our letters, and then get our money changed 
into Italian paper at the office of our banker. These things be- 
ing done, we took seats in a small boat, and directed the oars- 
man to take us across the lake to Villa Carlotta. The voyage 
lasted half an hour, and under the extremely favorable con- 
ditions of sun, wind and temperature, was very enjoyable. 

On arriving at the steps, which lead to the grounds of the 
villa, and on which they land who visit it, we were told by the 
attendants that we would not be admitted for a time, owing to 
some preparations that were being made in the mansion. The 
Villa Carlotta, now the property of Duke George of Saxe Mein- 
engen, lies in a very sheltered position on Lake Como, by the 
side of the little town of Cadenabbia. In the other direction, 
to the south, adjoining the grounds of the villa, is the village 
of Tremezzo. 

To put in the time, until we would be admitted, we walked 
along the shore, and inspected the hotels, houses, and shops of 
the town. We walked under a bower, formed by the branches 
of sycamore trees. The trees had been cut off at the first limbs, 
when they were young, and the branches bent and trained over 
the promenade, and weighted there until they cover the walk 
and bank of the lake with a close green bower. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 337 

I thought, as we passed under it, that it was possible, that in 
consequence of the plentifulness of the people, and their lack of 
employment, a few people had been kept holding the limbs of 
the trees in position, until they had grown there. Our walk 
took us by beautiful grounds and grand homes, houses 
painted in fancy colors and almost buried in vines on which 
the foliage was all colors, including the natural green and the 
many which the early Autumn furnishes. 

At eleven o'clock we, with several others, paid our franc each 
and entered the villa. In the house we were shown some .mar- 
ble reliefs by Thorwaldsen, representing the triumph of Alexan- 
der, for which a former owner. Count Sommariva, paid three 
hundred and seventy-five thousand francs. Also Cupid and 
Psyche, and other celebrated marbles by Canova and other 
artists. Then we walked about the grounds and passed out, 
not satisfied with what Villa Carlotta furnished, to repay us for 
our time and expense. 

We were very much surprised to find, on entering our little 
boat again, that the wind had risen, and was blowing strong 
between the mountains, and covering the little lake with white 
caps. Our course lay against the wind, until we were more 
than half way across, then we turned so that the old oarsman 
had the benefit of the wind. 

The little boat rolled and pitched a good deal, and the water 
splashed about us and wet us some. I don't think my partner 
cared anything about it, but I was scared. I was scared white ! 
My sun-burned face was made white. I don't believe in those 
abominable little boats anyway, and then the idea of Lake 
Como, the calmest thing on earth, calmer always than a June 
Sunday, raising such a rumpus as that, without reason or no- 
tice. Think of it ! 

Lake Como, that has been done in oil thousands of times, 
always as still as a Massachusetts goose-pond, the middle shin- 
ing with the effect of the Italian sun, while the edges show the 
shade of the mountains ! 

The boats unmoored lie motionless, the sails hang limp and 

uninflated, while the boatmen sleep and dream of a country 

where there are no boats, and no lakes, and where the streams 
22 



338 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

are red wine, and the mountains rye bread and bologna. That 
is the way the world knows Como ; but some mermaid, or 
spirit, had been whispering to the little lady about two people, 
who had recently been on different lakes in several countries, 
where the wind blew cold, and where the white waves and boats 
rolled, and told her that they were in the neighborhood, and 
would think her a limpid lazy thing, if she did not do something 
beside lie and shimmer in the sunshine, so she went at it and 
made a rumpus. 

Well, we got home all right, and I will not cry if, before the 
time comes for me to get into another little boat, the wind blows 
them all into some other world. 

At one-thirty we left Bellaggio by steamboat for the city of 
Como. The wind had not abated, but blew cold and so strong 
as to cause the white waves to crash and splash about the boat. 
Our course lay in zigzags back and forth across the lake to 
different towns, and as the wind sw^ept the water from end to 
end, we had it first on one broad side, and then on the other. 
It did not, however, keep us from remaining on the deck, and 
viewing the mountains with their many colors, and villas and 
towns and villages. 

For two and a half hours w^e kept landing, first on one side 
and then on the other, every fifteen minutes, affording us a most 
perfect opportunity to see the lake and surroundings. Como 
is very beautiful, distinctively beautiful, in coloring and sur- 
roundings. 

We have setn now the Irish lakes, the English lakes, Scotch 
lakes, Swiss lakes, and the Italian lakes. They are all beauti- 
ful, distinctively so, but for great magnificence and grandeur, 
grandeur seemingly incomprehensible, which you carry in your 
mind long after, there is none to compare with Lucerne. 

At four o'clock we disembarked at Como, situated at the 
south end of the lake. It is the capital of the province, has 
twenty-six thousand inhabitants, and several large silk manu- 
factories. It is inclosed by an amphitheater of mountains. 
We walked about the narrow alley-like streets for an hour or 
more, among the plain unattractive buildings. 

We went into and walked about the cathedral, saw the paint- 



EUROPE EROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 339 

ings and some old tapestries, representing sacred subjects, and 
into and inspected an old church. The cathedral is large, but 
little ornamented, old and barren looking. 

The church is not large; is covered with paintings, and is 
very old and stuffy. The wind roared through the streets, and 
hurled the dust about, so that it was very disagreeable walking, 
and as the place did not interest us, w^e went to the railway 
station, waited until six-thirty, and came to the city named 
below, arriving at eight o'clock. 

Milan, Tuesday, October i6th : — The moon lighted brightly 
the country through which we rode en route from Como here 
last night, but of course not sufficiently for us to know anything 
about it. Not so, however, with the city, for here it helped us 
much. After eating some supper w^e went out and walked 
about the streets. We were favored with the renowned mag- 
nificence of the cathedral by moonlight. We walked entirely 
around and feasted on the magnificent thing for some time, and 
then walked about the streets crowded with people. 

We went into the Victor Emmanuel Arcade, which divides a 
large block two ways, and is lined with fashionable shops and 
cafes, is brilliantly lighted with electricity, andis a fashion- 
able and popular promenade. 

We passed hundreds of genteel-looking and stylishly dressed 
people, and saw hundreds of others sitting in the cafes having 
refreshments and chatting, and listening to music. I thought 
of South Water Street and wondered, " can these people be 
Italians ? It must be so. We are in Milan in Italy, and they 
are Milanese, and must be Italians," and with puzzled brain we 
went to our hotel and slept. 

Immediately after breakfast to-day we went to the cathedral, 
and remained there until twelve-thirty. There are but two 
cathedrals that are larger, St. Peter's, Rome, and the one in 
Seville. It covers an area of fourteen thousand square yards, 
and holds forty-thousand people. The greatest interior length 
is one hundred and sixty-two yards, and the breadth ninety-six 
yards. The dome is two hundred and twenty feet in height, 
and the tow'er is three hundred and sixty feet above the pave- 
ment. There are ninety-eight turrets, and inside and outside, 



340 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

three thousand statues. The roof is supported by fifty-two 
columns, seventy-two feet high, and eight feet in diameter. 

It was founded in 1386, and dragged in construction until, 
1805, a decree of Napoleon ordered its completion, and from 
that time it was pushed to completion. It is made of marble 
from quarries near Lake Maggiore. There has been expended 
on it thus far, five hundred and fifty million francs, one hundred 
and ten million dollars. 

The enormous size of the building, and the forest of enormous 
columns, are very impressive on entering, and it is not for some 
minutes that the senses grasp the prodigious thing. We spent 
a long time under the direction of a very efficient guide, in- 
specting the many chapels, tombs, statues, and paintings. Of 
course, I cannot dwell on them here. 

The statue that perhaps receives the greatest amount of at- 
tention, is that of St. Bartholomew, who, after being flayed, 
carried his skin over his shoulders, and preached in Rome. It 
is not a particularly cheerful subject, and I am of the opinion 
that the work is not above criticism, although it is very highly 
commended for its anatomical correctness. It seemed to me 
that the amount of skin that the sculpture represented, would 
cover three men as large as the saint, still I am not much of an 
authority on such things, saints, flayed or unflayed. 

We visited the subterranean chapel of Saint Charles Bor- 
romeo, one of the patron saints of Milan, who lived in the six- 
teenth century. It is octagonal in shape, and very profusely 
ornamented with silver. At one side of the chapel is an altar, 
above which stands a magnificent bronze case, in which is the 
sarcophagus, made of rock crystal, and bound together with 
silver, a gift from Phillip IV, King of Spain. 

On entering the subterranean portion of the cathedral, the 
guide, who had accompanied us thus far, gave way, and his 
place was supplied for this part of the journey by a young 
monk. When we had entered the tomb of the saint, he lighted 
some candles, which allowed us to see the costly embellishments, 
and told us he would open the case containing the sarcophagus 
and allow us to see the saint if we desired it, but that a special 
offering of five francs was required, which went to the poor. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 34I 

We told him to proceed, when he put on the white robe of a 
priest, and lighted several candles about the altar, so placed 
that the light from them would shine through the crystal, and 
on the face and body of the saint. Then he went to the end 
of the bronze case, and by turning a crank the side of the case 
lowered, and the crystal and silver casket lay before us un- 
covered, and the mummified face of the saint was very plain. 
On the head was a mitre, and the body was dressed in the 
costly gold cloth of a high dignitary of the church. Inside the 
casket are many costly jewels, which have been presented by 
different prominent people, and about it are profuse quantities 
of rings, and other articles of jewelry, which visitors have 
bequeathed. We did not leave any. 

Returning then to the floor of the church again we proceeded 
with the guide. We admired greatly some immense bronze 
candelabra, I should say ten feet high, with several great arms 
and many places for candles. They are very old, and most 
wonderful specimens of art and workmanship. Many of the 
precious stones, with which they were originally ornamented, 
are missing, but there are very many there yet. 

We ascended to the roof and tower, stopping at several land- 
ings, walking out on different parts, and inspected the carvings 
and statues. The stairway ascends through the great cupola, 
which is surrounded with one hundred and thirty-six others. 
We seemed to be looking into a forest of spires, and 
beneath us in all directions spread the rough red tile roofs of 
the city, and beyond for miles the level cultivated plains of 
Lombardy. 

A sight that pleased us as much as anything, and which was 
in view to the north, was the grand Alps, and prominent among 
them, straight to the north, was magnificent Mont Rose, which 
we gazed at most admiringly for some minutes. Her snow 
covering, under the effect of the red-tinted atmosphere through 
which we looked, was copper tinted. There is something about 
the Alps that is fascinating. 

Finally we had covered the four hundred and eighty-six steps, 
and were on the upper balcony of the tower, where the apparent 
insecurity of the position made me dizzy, and we remained only 



342 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

to walk around it once. A deep-drawn breath of relief came 
with our again setting foot on the pavement. 

No letter can convey a correct impression of Milan Cathe- 
dral. Volumes could be written on it and its history, and yet 
all not be told. I have not, and cannot, touch on the historical 
things which are associated with it. 

There, before the altar. Napoleon was crowned King of Italy, 
when he, impatient at the formality of the Cardinal, snatched 
the crown and placed it on his head. 

Twelve-thirty came, and we went into the arcade and ate our 
luncheon. Again we were surrounded with people, whom we 
could scarcely believe to be Italians. 

After luncheon we entered a horse-car and went to the sup- 
pressed monastery of St. Maria delle Grazie, all of which is 
now a cavalry barracks, except what was originally the refec- 
tory. On one end of it is the fresco of the Last Supper, by 
Leonardo Da Vinci. 

We looked at the wonderful, and now much damaged, paint- 
ing some minutes, and, returning to the city, went by electric 
car, operated by the Trolley system, to the Exposition. 

For three hours we tramped through the several large build- 
ings and fine grounds, which again recalled the delightful 
hours of a year ago. The Exposition has many depart- 
ments, is large, and very interesting. We enjoyed it all 
very much, and felt sorry that we did not have a day or two 
to give it. 

On returning to our room at the hotel, we decided that we 
had an old-fashioned-exposition-tired-night on hand. 

Yesterday morning, Wednesday (I am now writing in Venice, 
Thursday), we visited by horse-car the Cemetery Monumental, 
or Campo Santo. 

The elaborate elegance of the tombs, and their great variety, 
interested us much. Many of them are in the form of chapels, 
with the crucifix and other articles used in worship, and the 
friends of the dead go there and worship. All contain statues, 
or busts, or portraits of the dead as they appeared in life. 
Over the plain graves are marble slabs, on which, done in 
porcelain, are likenesses of the dead as they were in life. This 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 343 

grave decoration is carried to great length, and is very interest- 
ing in its variety and elegance. 

As we walked along we found ourselves in a motley proces- 
sion of people of different classes who were following a coffin, 
which was being pushed on a truck. We followed along and 
soon found ourselves entering a building, on which is this 

inscription : 

" Tempio Crematorio 

Per Volonta 

Del Nobile Alberto Keller 

Eretto E Donate Alia 

Citta Di Milano." ^ 

and there we witnessed the depositing of the body in the cre- 
matory ; but my partner says that I must not write the details, 
but instead say that I will tell you all about it. 

We walked through the Theatre Scala, which the attendant 
tells you is the largest in the world, but it is not. The whole 
of the auditorium, except the orchestra floor, is devoted to 
boxes, there being six tiers, and belonging to each box is a 
toilet-room, and a place for wraps. There are two hundred 
boxes, and as I said, each has an accompanying apartment. 
The Scala does not hold its old rank for pre-eminent grandness 
at all. 

We left Milan yesterday, Wednesday, at twelve o'clock, 
without seeing very many of the things for which it is cele- 
brated. There are galleries and monuments, and many things, 
which we did not see at a-U. There are, including the suburbs, 
four hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants, and the activity 
and dress of the people, the cars and carriages, compare 
favorably with modern cities. We felt at home in Milan, and 
liked it much. 

When you walk about among the well-dressed, genteel seem- 
ing people, and see them conducting exchanges, and banks, 
and fine large establishments, you cannot help thinking how 
miserably they are represented in our country. 



344 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 



LETTER XXXVIII. 

Venice, Thiirsday^ October i8th, 1894. 

We left Milan at one o'clock and had an uneventful trip, which 
ended at seven, or a little later, on our arrival here, the 
distance being in the neighborhood of a hundred and fifty miles. 

The country through which we rode, is quite level, and is 
devoted to fruit and vegetables almost entirely, it seemed to 
me ; there being but little pasture land, and but little devoted 
to the heavy grains. We noticed several fields, some of them 
containing several acres, on which stood good crops of Indian 
corn, but I judged that fruit and vegetables occupy the ground 
generally. 

The landscape, much of the distance, lacks the mountains, 
and streams, and green grass, which are so very necessary to 
add beauty. 

Glory ! Glory ! Hallelujah ! The table-d'hote dinner is 
over again, and my partner and I both live. The Mecca of the 
day for Europeans, from Caledonia to the Apennines, is the 
table-d'hote dinner. To me it is — well, I am on record on that 
subject, and need not repeat it. 

But back again to the trip from Milan to this city ; much of 
the distance we had on our left, in the far distance the Alps, 
and several of the snow mountains were visible, plainly so. 
For some time we ran along the shore of Lake Garda, the 
largest of the North Italian lakes, but owing to the low banks, 
and level country about, it did not add much to the beauty. 
When we passed through Verona, the home of Romeo and 
Juliet, we thought and talked about them. The home of Juliet's 
parents is still in existence, and her burial-place is in Verona. 

It was some time after seven, when we rolled into the fine 
large station in this city, and in a minute or two we were stand- 
ing on a very large flight of steps in front of the station, waiting 
for gondolas to load and move off, when we would enter one. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 345 

Soon our time came, and we were noiselessly and leisurely float- 
ing in the narrow canals between the rows of buildings. Not a 
sound followed us, except the regular and light splash of the 
single oar, and the peculiar call of warning, which the gondolier 
threw out, on our approach to the abrupt angles of the canal. 

Finally we were housed and at supper. The historical impor- 
tance of Venice began with the last few years of the twelfth cen- 
tury. The zenith of its greatness was reached in the fifteenth 
century ; when it was the center of the commerce of Europe, 
and had two hundred thousand inhabitants. It lies in the La- 
gune, a shallow bay of the Adriatic, and has fifteen thousand 
houses and palaces, which are chiefly built on piles, and is about 
six and a half miles in circumference. 

The population dwindled to ninety-six thousand, but in 1881 
it had, including suburbs, about one hundred and thirty-three 
thousand, one-fourth of whom are paupers. The city stands on 
one hundred and seventeen small islands, formed by one hun- 
dred and fifty canals, and connected by three hundred and 
seventy-eight bridges. 

After our supper we walked to the piazza of St. Mark, a square 
enclosed by the Royal Palace on one side, the Cathedral of St. 
Mark on another, and shops on the other two. It was the 
night for a band to play on the piazza, but we arrived there 
only in time to hear the closing strains of the music, and to see 
the crowd move away. We walked around the square, looked 
at the showy and inviting goods in the windows, and among the 
people, who sat about in numbers, drinking black coffee. Hav- 
ing shopped until we were tired, and without having spent any 
money, we came home and retired. 

To-day we have been to the King's palace. In the absence 
of the royal family, the apartments are all shown, and it is a 
most interesting palace to visit, owing to the exquisite and 
abundant art in the decorations. Doors opposite each other were 
open to-day, and we looked through twenty-five large rooms and 
saloons. Then we walked through them, and back through 
others. 

The table in the family dining-room is oval in shape, and in 
the middle, on each side, is one chair gilded with gold, while on 



34^ EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

each side of them are fifteen plain chairs. These say that when 
the seats are all occupied, thirty-two sit at the table. 

We went in a gondola to the church of St. Maria della Salute, 
built in the seventeenth century. It is rich in chapels, fine 
paintings, and marbles, but did not interest us much. We are 
getting a little tired of cathedrals and churches, yet we have St. 
Mark's here, and perhaps others. St. Mark's is one of the 
great church edifices, but I will write you about it later in 
this. 

On returning from the church, we walked about the queer 
streets until the rain drove us home, and now, at nine-thirty, the 
rain is falling on the water in the canal under our windows in 
small torrents. It is not pleasant to hear the rain falling on 
the water. It tells of the deep water all about us, and we feel, 
if the house should tumble down, or burn down, we would not 
have any place to run to. 

Friday, the 9th, nine-thirty p. m. : — The rain was over this 
morning, and the sunshine was bright, and the air balmy and 
warm, as we know it in June. We were out early, and went to 
the Campanile, a square tower in St. Mark's, three hundred 
and twenty-two feet high. It was founded in 888, restored in 
1329, and improved several times since. Inside the tower, 
next the outer wall, an incline path leads to the top. It makes 
thirty-eight bends, and the ascent to the top is much more easily 
made than it would be by steps. We were afforded a splendid 
view of the city, the surrounding islands, and distant land. 

From the tower we walked to the Rialto. You have heard 
all your lives of the Rialto, and perhaps all know what it is — I 
did not. It is a single arch bridge over the Grand Canal, one 
hundred and fifty-eight feet long, and ninety feet wide. It is 
built of marble, and' the arch spans seventy-four feet. It was 
built in 1588--91, andrests on twelve thousand piles. The pas- 
sage-way over the bridge is twenty-five or thirty feet wide, and 
the sides are lined with cheap shops and stalls. Like every- 
thing else in Venice, it looks old and unkept. 

On crossing to the opposite side, we found ourselves in a 
market devoted to vegetables, fruit, meats, and other articles 
for the table. The patrons seemed to be generally of the poor 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 347 

class ; and many of the vegetables, and much of the meat, were 
of inferior quality. We saw many evidences of pinching want, 
and absolute need for the necessities of life. For instance : a 
lad, quite well grown, buying with a sou a slice of a cold boiled 
sweet potato, which he ate with avidity. A pinched-looking, very 
poorly clad woman at a stall where poultry was for sale, trying 
to find a piece of chicken that would come within her ability 
to buy. Think of it ! chicken being quartered and sold in 
pieces. 

At another place the stall-keeper trying hard to sell an old 
man a little fish, three inches long from tip of tail to nose. At 
another a woman hunting among a mess of eels for one small 
enough to be within the limit of her few sous. We saw many 
of such instances, and I don't believe that people do those things 
who are not compelled to. 

From there we turned a corner or two, and were in the fish mar- 
ket. Now at best fish markets are not very inviting places, but 
this one in particular is — well, it is the fish market of Venice. 
The products of the sea are cheap in Venice, and there are very 
many poor people, hence fish must be a great staple food. I 
don't believe either, that the people go very deep into the nat- 
ure of, or the work, that the things they buy and eat, are made 
to perform in the family that lives in the sea. It is foolish, too, 
for any of the rest of the world to seem horrified, for there are 
none who are not pleased with a lobster salad, yet the lobster is 
the scavenger of the ocean. I don't think there is any fish or 
reptile that the sea produces, within reach of the enterprising 
fisherman of the Adriatic, that cannot be had in the fish 
market in Venice. 

My partner carefully held her skirts, and I rolled up my 
trowsers, and we did the people, the fish and reptiles, and the 
market thoroughly. There were things that were all claws, and 
sluggish, dead-looking things that are all head. There were 
things that looked like a bunch of thorns, eels in untold variety, 
beautiful, and villainous-looking fish, and we saw men skinning 
sharks, and offering them for sale. 

We walked away, and as we recrossed the Rialto, I must say 
that at best we did not feel hungry, and we felt like getting 



348 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

away from the city before our hotel people should go to market. 
My partner's face wore an expression half misery, and half 
scorn, which I suggested she remove, else she might provoke 
the people. 

It is easy to become lost in the streets of Venice, as we 
found on our return, but like every person else, we knew when 
we would get to the Piazza, St. Mark, or " San Marco," as the 
Venetians call it, we would be all right, hence all we had to do 
to be set right, was to say, San Marco ? to any person, whom we 
would meet, and this we were compelled to do several times. 
The passage-ways between the buildings are called streets, and 
are generally from four to eight feet wide, though there are some 
perhaps fifteen. There appears to be no order or plan for the 
streets, no squares or blocks. I should name Venice a crazy- 
quilt par excelleiice. 

A great many of the buildings are profusely ornamented with 
carvings and statuary, and columns of fine stones, while many 
others are plaster-covered, and much ornamented with stucco. 
If clean, and in order, and conveying with a view of them as- 
surance of order, and comfort, the buildings and their load of 
art would be very pleasing. But that is not the effect ; not 
what you see. The dust of ages, the broken statues, the dam- 
aged carvings, the patches of missing plaster, and the discol- 
ored walls, don't tell of progress. They tell of a past buried 
greatness, a greatness from which the world has strode on, and 
for which nothing is left but the decaying home. 

Turn from the single railway, which enters Venice, and the 
ships which enter the harbor, the stream of travel of the curious 
who go there to see the carvings and paintings, and what would 
Venice have to do ? Shutters would blind the gay windows in 
the shops of the Piazza San Marco, and there would not be any 
use for the fee-takers and attendants at the Palace of the Doges. 

The life of the Riva-degli-Schiavoni would be gone, for the 
hotels, which line it, would be guestless. The guides and 
hangers on about the Cathedral San Marco would be com- 
pelled to eke out their scanty living by some other method. 
The peculiar voice of the gondolier, who constantly challenges 
you with, " Gondola ? " would not be heard, and his black coffin- 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 349 

like boat would decay at her mooring. Venice is a thing of 
the past, living on the memory of what it was in centuries gone. 

In 809 the islands, on which Venice stands, repulsed the 
attack of King Pepin, son of Charlemagne. They then selected 
the island of Rivoalto for the seat of government, and there the 
city of Venice was founded. An officer was appointed, who 
was called Doge, whose residence occupied the site of the pres- 
ent palace of the Doges. 

In 828 a Venetian fleet brought the body of Saint Mark to 
Venice, and he became the tutelary Saint, and his emblem the 
emblem of Venice, hence where the victorious Venetians went, 
they planted the Lion of Saint Mark. Their supreme official 
functionary was called " Procurator of St. Mark." 

Venice grew, and Venetian authority spread, until it covered 
many cities and much territory, including even Constantinople. 
During this reign of success, there grew among the people a 
class of nobles, who, in 1297, declared themselves hereditary, 
and who excluded all of the rest of the people from all share in 
the government. The supreme authority was vested in the 
Great Council, which included all the nobility over twenty 
years of age. The chief executive was called Doge, who acted 
with six c?)uncillors. This government existed, with but few 
changes, and never succumbed to an enemy, until 1797, when 
it fell to Napoleon, and became part of the French Empire. It 
has since belonged to Austria, and for fifteen months was again 
a Republic. It now, as all know, belongs to the Kingdom of 
Italy. 

This little historical sketch was necessary, for the writer to 
know the use of the Palace of the Doges. It was the official 
home of the successive Doges, and the Governmental building 
of the Republic. The present building dates from the first 
half of the fifteenth century, and stands now only as a monu- 
ment to Venetian greatness, and constantly, week days from 
ten to three, francs drop from the hands of a string of visitors, 
who stroll through the grand halls and rooms, and view the 
wonderful paintings which cover the walls and ceilings. 

It was here we went after leaving the fish market. It would 
be folly for me to try describe anything correctly connected with 



350 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

the Doges' Palace, as all any tourist brings away after a single 
visit, is a very general impression. 

I will mention a little carefully the hall of the Great Coun- 
cil. In this hall, and with the body that met there, all of the 
nobility were entitled to meet, who were twenty years of age. 
It is one hundred and sixty-five feet long, seventy-eight feet 
wide, and forty-seven feet high, and is covered entirely, sides, 
ends, and ceilings, with paintings on canvas. The subjects are 
mythological and historical. The historical subjects represent- 
ing events in the history of the Republic. Many of these 
paintings are enormous in size. Covering the east end is 
Tintoretto's Paradise, the largest oil painting in the world. 
Ruskin says, that it is the most precious thing that Venice 
possesses. 

You must imagine the magnificence of this hall, when seen 
on a bright day. It is covered entirely with the beautiful colors 
of the paintings, and the gold of their frames. The only dif- 
ference between it and the Senate Hall, the Grand Ball Room, 
and many others, is its great size. They are all covered with 
the same class of paintings, all magnificent in the wonderful 
works of the masters. Wide balconies, with a row of columns 
in front, one above the other, are on the side of •the palace 
next to the square. The second balcony is called the 
Loggia. 

In the row of columns, which form the front of it, are two of 
red marble, from between these two it was the custom for ages 
to proclaim the sentences of death. On the east side of the 
palace is a narrow canal, and on the opposite side of it is the 
Carceri, or Prigioni Criminali, (prison for criminals) and con- 
necting it with the palace is an arched bridge, the Bridge of 
Sighs. 

The prison was built early in the sixteenth century, and in 
the palace about the entrance to the bridge, are a number of 
gloomy dungeons, and a torture chamber, which were destroyed 
by Napoleon's soldiers in 1797, while, as I have written above, 
the other end of the bridge connects the prison for criminals, 
and near all, in the palace, is the execution chamber, and place 
of the location of the guillotine. Connecting all of these things 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 35 1 

with the trial rooms of the palace, is a narrow, winding pas- 
sage-way used only for prisoners. 

Yet, regardless of all these preparations and centuries of 
existence under Venetian rule, Mr. Howells says, in Venetian 
life, "The Bridge of Sighs is a pathetic swindle, " and Baedeck- 
er says, " Too much sentiment need not be wasted on it, as it 
has scarcely ever felt the foot of a prisoner." I am of the 
opinion that if the stones could talk, they would talk different- 
ly, and I think that both writers were under effect of Venetian 
hospitable influences, and wrote kindly. 

We left the palace, the prison, and the paintings with their 
histories, and went out and fed the pigeons. The pigeons of the 
Piazza San Marco are a feature of Venice. They live among the 
carvings and niches of the surrounding buildings. There are 
hundreds of them, and they are very tame and trusting. We had 
seen people feeing them, and my partner wanted to do the same, 
so we went and bought a quart or more of corn and fed them. 

We sat down on one of the stones which hold upright one of 
the grand flag^taffs in the Piazza, tossed about us a little of 
the corn, and immediately were surrounded with hundreds of 
the birds. We held out our hands filled with the corn, while on 
each hand, clinging to our fingers, would be six or more of the 
birds scrambling for the feed, and all over us, wherever they could 
perch, would be others, while about us on the pavement flutter- 
ing and scrambling after the dropping kernels, they were sev- 
eral deep. My partner thought it was fun, and was buried with 
the scrambling, fluttering pigeons. We think they are the best 
fed things in Venice. 

Three richly decorated pedestals for flag-staffs stand in the 
Piazza, in front of the Cathedral, and they support each a flag- 
staff, and were erected in 1505. They support now the flag of the 
kingdom, which floats Sundays and holidays. Friday being 
the anniversary of Austrian Evacuation in 1866, the flags were 
floating. They are large and looked very beautiful. 

The Cathedral of St. Mark's dates from the tenth century. It 
is in the form of a Greek cross, and is two hundred and forty 
nine feet long, and one hundred and sixty-eight feet wide. 
Over each arm of the cross, and in the middle, is a dome. Ex- 



352 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

ternally and internally there are five hundred marble columns, 
the capitals of which are wonderfully varied and magnificent. 
The domes, and much of the walls outside and inside, are 
covered with mosaics, there being forty-five thousand, seven 
hundred and ninety square feet of that costly and beautiful 
work. 

The great domes are all completely covered with the mosaics, 
and you must imagine their magnificence. In speaking of the 
magnificent coloring, Mr. Ruskin, in " Stones of Venice " says 
" The effect of St. Mark's depends not only upon the most deli- 
cate sculpture in every part but eminently on its color also, and 
that the most subtle, variable, inexpressible color in the world, — 
the color of glass, of transparent alabaster, of polished marble 
and lustrous gold." 

Over the main portal are four life-size bronze horses, long 
supposed to be the work of the Greek master, Lysippus, but 
now believed to be Roman, of the time of Nero. They are 
among the finest of ancient bronzes, and the sole existing speci- 
mens of an ancient quadriga. It is thought they once adorned 
the triumphal arch of Nero, and afterwards of Trajan. Con- 
stantine sent them to Constantinople, and from there the Doge 
of Venice bought them in 1204. Napoleon took them to Paris, 
and in 181 5 Emperor Francis of Austria returned them. They 
bear many scars and marks of damage and repair, are traveled 
and time-honored. 

St. Mark's does not look like a place of worship from a little 
distance. It is not a high building, and the arches leading 
into the fa9ade, and the brilliant colors of the mosaics, when at 
a sufficient distance to hide the subjects, present the appearance 
of a showy place of amusement. 

It is by far the most costly and magnificent building, in em- 
bellishment, that we have seen, if it is not the finest in the world. 
We made a special trip to see the altar-piece, which we estimated 
the size of to be seven by ten feet. It is enameled work, with 
jewels on gold and silver. The attendant told us, that the 
number of precious stones is fifteen hundred, and I -should say 
that they were more. I counted and estimated in the middle 
one division, about two feet by three, on which there are three 



EUROTE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 353 

hundred. The stones are emeralds, sapphires, topaz, amethysts, 
rubies, white topaz, pearls and others. They are large, many 
of them the size of English walnuts, while the majority in size 
are like almonds and filberts. The harder I try, it seems the 
more I fail in this subject. I must leave St. Mark's to your 
imagination. 

How strange a city seems without animals, cars, carriages, 
and trucks ! Venice has none of them. The boats take their 
places for practical uses, but they don't fill their places in the 
mind of a person used to them. 

Think of it ! For two days we walked about among the build- 
ings and through the narrow streets, and did not see a quad- 
ruped but one dog and two cats. 

We met in the Piazza San Marco a young lady from Hart- 
ford, Connecticut, whom we had met while in Geneva. She is 
traveling alone, and since we saw her she has been in Rome 
and other cities, and is now en route for her sailing port for 
home. She seemed as glad to see us as if we were members 
of her family. We said to her, " We are going by boat to the 
island of Lido, a short ride from the city; would you like to ac- 
company us ? " She readily accepted, and we went to the boat. 
The ride is but a short one, and we soon disembarked on the 
ground, where there were trees and grass. Two old horses stood 
harnessed to a car, and they seemed like friends. A dog stood 
and barked, sometimes at us, and then he would turn around 
and bark at the trees. I looked at him and thought, " Bark 
away, old fellow, the world is yours as far as I am concerned." 

We walked across the island to the beach, took seats on the 
veranda of a refreshment house, watched the surf, drank some 
coffee, and ate some cake. Then we walked back to the land- 
ing, the boat came, and soon we were back in the old city. 

The young lady thanked us and said " Good-bye," and went 
her way. W^e walked about and looked at the buildings, statu- 
ary and shops, and finally home to dinner. After dinner we 
went to the Piazza to hear the band play. We counted the 
musicians and there were sixty-five. The rain soon sent them 
:^nd the people home, and we followed the popular example, and 

were soon asleep. 
23 



354 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

The next morning, yesterday, Saturday, we took a gondola 
ride via the Grand Canal, and other canals to the railway 
station, and left at ten o'clock for this city, Florence. 

We saw a good deal of Venice, and left a great deal unseen. 
I will direct my love into other channels, and to other objects. 
I think I will survive if I never again see the " Queen of the 
Adriatic." 

Florence, Sunday, October 21st, 1894. — We expect to get our 
mail in the morning, Monday. Have not had any for eighteen 
days. 



LETTER XXXIX. 

Florence, October 22d, 1894. 

At ten o'clock Saturday we left Venice, and this is Monday 
evening. 

The day was bright and warm, and the ride not disagreeable, 
save that it was tedious. The train ran very slowly, and 
stopped at all the stations. Though the distance is only about 
one hundred and fifty miles, we were not in Florence until 
about seven-thirty. We were at Bologna at three o'clock, and 
changed cars and waited there some time, and were afforded a 
splendid example of Italian railway methods. 

We had not had any luncheon, and by that time were ready 
for it, but were told that the time between trains would be but 
twenty minutes, and experience had taught us that it would be 
folly to sit down at table and attempt to eat a meal, or rather to 
be served and eat a meal in twenty minutes, so I went into the 
refreshment room and obtained a package of nice things to eat, 
which we would eat after again taking our seats in the car ; 
then we waited. 

Some time after due the train came, and immediately it was 
filled and the waiters were not nearly all accommodated, we being 
amons: the number who were left. Our attention was attracted 
to a party of hustling Americans who seemed frantic with fear 
that they would be left, and who acted like mad, but they got 



EUROPE EROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 355 

seats in the smoking compartments and other places, much to 
the annoyance of people about them, and the disgust of some 
of their countrymen who were very much put out with them. 
The porter who was handling our baggage gave us to under- 
stand that another car would be put on, and to wait. Finally 
we saw the car coming, being pushed along by hand very slowly, 
until it was square across the track in the way of our train, but 
it was on a little turn-table, and was slowly swung around, and 
and at last pushed down to the train and coupled on. 

The doors were open and the people tumbled in, and many 
were yet unaccommodated. Then the management saw that 
the goods were more than the measure, and they ordered out 
another car, and our porter again made us understand to wait. 
At last the second car was in position and filled, and yet there 
were waiters. A third car poked along and rested en I'oute^ and 
got turned right, and by using all the time possible, was in 
place, and the last of the people seated. In it we got seats in 
a compartment where there were but another two and a 
child. 

Next the locomotive rolled down, and was coupled on, and as 
there did not seem to be any more reason for delay, the train 
started and walked away. I know some railroad men whom I 
should like to have seen witnessing that exhibition, on account 
of the enjoyment they would have gotten out of it. We had 
room and time in which to eat our lunch, and enjoyed it. 

From Venice to Bologna there is much sameness in the 
country, and not much of special interest. The land is very 
level and fiat. Along the streams embankments are con- 
structed, which tell of floods which must be controlled, or the 
land would be inundated. Large open ditches run through the 
farms, and are constantly seen, hence I conclude that the plains 
of Tuscany must be protected against overflow. Fruit and 
vegetables seem to have the attention of the farmers, though 
we saw a good many cattle. They are of large size and all 
white in color, entirely white. Oxen are used for the farm work, 
and we saw many plows being pulled by them. We saw teams 
of six, eight and ten oxen. Either the plows are very large or 
the ground is very heavy. 



35^ EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

Every foot of the distance from Venice to Florence is histori- 
cal of course, and time-honored history too. A glance at the 
history associates the country, and particular places, with events 
two thousand years old. 

Immediately after leaving Bologna, we found ourselves in a 
valley with high hills about us, and soon \\c began to pass 
through tunnels very frequently, of which I am told there are 
more than sixty between Bologna and Florence, a distance of 
say seventy miles. Some of them are more than a mile long. 
You feel that the locomotive is laboring, and that you are as- 
cending. 

Having run forty-five and a half miles, you are at Pracchia, 
the highest point, where the elevation is two thousand and 
twenty-five feet, and there you cross the Apennines. Thence 
the grade is on the decline, and you go faster and are soon in 
Florence. 

Our home in Florence is at the Pension Villa Trollope. It 
was the home of Anthony Trollope, whose mother built the 
villa. In this house George Eliot wrote Romola, and Mrs. 
Burnett wrote one of her stories, and now these letters — but 
perhaps we had better not say anything about them. 

Yesterday being Sunday, everything was open free, and we 
concluded to see some of the things, and save some of the 
francs, which we must at best almost sow broadcast. 

We went to the museum St. Mark, or San Marco, which is a 
suppressed monastery of Dominican monks, who were favored 
by the Medicis. Early in the fifteenth century, the monastery 
was rebuilt and was decorated with frescoes by Fra Giovanni 
Angelico da Fiesole, one of the monks. It is the frescoes that 
make the old building famous, and which we went to see. 

Girolamo Savonarola, and Bartolommeo della Porta, who 
were burned at the stake in 1498, were monks in this monastery, 
and the room and desk which Savonarola used, and the chair 
he sat in, are there, and objects of interest. 

From the monastery we crossed the square, and walked 
among paintings and statuary for an hour. Many of the works 
ax*e famous, among them being Michael Angelo's David. Our 
stroll took us to the church St. Maria Novella. It dates from 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 357 

the thirteenth century, and is said to be a most elegant 
specimen of Tuscan Gothic. It is a beautiful church. Service 
was going on, so we stayed and listened to the organ for a time, 
and passed out. 

We passed the cathedral, but as the day was on the wane 
we did not enter it, but walked about and wondered at the 
mountain of Florentine mosaic. On nearing the baptistery, we 
saw that service was being held, and we went in to find that 
the service was the baptism of infants. We watched the 
service devoted to a red specimen of infantile humanity, which 
I don't think was any longer than the candle that lights my 
paper. 

The little creature was very unhappy, it had cause to be, and 
spoke out in meeting. Its attendant, and accompanying people, 
stood by the altar with it, until the two priests had recorded its 
name, and other items. When that was done, they came down 
from the altar, and standing by the attendant, all three mumbled 
prayers for a few minutes, while one of the priests dipped his 
fingers into a box, which was held by the other, and contained 
a liquid, or ointment, which he applied to the baby's head. 
During this time the baby was attending to business too. 

Then the priests went up to the altar, and put on different, 
or additional, vestments, and being ready, the attendant stood 
up before the altar, and held the tired and discouraged baby 
upright on its feet, on the marble slab before the altar. Again 
the prayers were resumed by the three, and the howling discon- 
tent of the poor child was multiplied with vigor. Then one of 
the priests applied ointment to the baby's head and mouth, 
which it, with the utmost promptness, spat out. Next he took 
the wabbling little thing, tumbled it down on its stomach, with 
its little black head over a receptacle, and dashed water over it, 
and then he stood it up, wiped its head, and mumbling prayers 
all the time, passed the newly-made, and ever-to-be Catholic 
back to its people, and glanced around, with a look on his face, 
which said, "next." There were three people who were glad 
when the performance ended, the baby, my partner and I. 

In England we saw hardly any beggars at all. In Wales but a 
very few ; in Scotland not many, and but few in any of the other 



358 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

countries save Ireland until we came to Italy. Here they are 
about us all the time. 

The Irish beggars are persistent to the extreme of being in- 
tolerable nuisances. They are blatant and wheedling, as they 
think the immediate case may require. To sum up, I pronounce 
the Irish beggars the most disgusting beggars that are possible. 
Not so at all are the Italians. As beggars, like in all other of 
their callings, the Italians are artists. 

Constantly you find yourself committed by a few simple cir- 
cumstances to the semi-necessity of passing over a few cen- 
times. You will be walking along the very crooked streets, the 
names of which you cannot read, or pronounce, en roufe to a 
gallery, or church, or palace, and are compelled to inquire the 
way. The person whom you address, by showing him or her a 
card with the name of the place written on it, to which you are 
going, will with utmost suavity immediately accompany you, 
and that means centimes. You need not fear giving offense, 
they will be accepted with the most perfect politeness. 

You will be passing through a gallery, absorbed in the work 
of the masters ; the party ahead has turned into another room, 
and you pause before a Raphael, an Angelo, a Rubens, or a 
Van Dyck, when the guard, whom you have not noticed, will 
step forward, and in his smooth, easy language, and finely- 
modulated tones, will commence to talk, and will swing the paint- 
ing around and expose on the wall a fresco, which he will tell 
you is supposed to be the work of so and so, and which was 
discovered at such a time, when the whitewash was removed. 
You look at the work, pause a moment while you take in the 
situation of the swinging painting, and the apparently solicitous 
guard, and while you pass over the little fee, you say to your 
partner, " score another for Italy." 

In your quiet uncovered walk through a great church, as you 
gaze on the wonderful paintings and look at the inscriptions on 
the tombs and monuments, you find yourself before one of the 
magnificent altars. Before you is the cross, a marvel of ex- 
quisite workmanship, which bears a life-size figure of the 
Saviour in relief, while about you are noted frescoes and 
mosaics. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 359 

Kneeling immediately about you will be several people, their 
eyes intent on the figure of Him who died that men might be 
honest, absorbed in their devotions. You look them over, and 
see that their dress indicates that they are of the poor and of 
the better classes. You notice one particularly, a lady in black. 
Her dress is well-fitting and genteel, her hands white, and her 
intelligent face refined. She is near the aisle, and as you pass 
noiselessly by, you are amazed to see, that while her eyes are 
riveted on the crucifix, and one hand clasping the rosary, the 
other is stretched to you with the palm up. As accomplished, 
genteel, and artistic beggars, I will vote for the Italians. 

Yesterday, Monday, our first errand was to the office of the 
banker for our letters. We were compelled to wait some time, 
but were rewarded with a stack of letters from relatives and 
friends. It was one o'clock before we had finished readins: 
them. 

The first thing that occupied our attention after dinner (the 
midday dinner), was the Galleria Buonarroti, which is in the 
house of Michael Angelo. It contains many of his works in 
marble, and on canvas, and a large collection of his drawings, 
from which many of his works were made. There are some 
portraits of himself, and also a statue, and a head or two of 
him ; also his manuscripts and miscellaneous things, including 
his desk, and many things that he used. The house and 
contents are the property of the city, having been bequeathed 
by a descendant of the artist. 

Not having been in a church for twenty-four hours, we went 
from the museum of the great artist to the church of St. Croce. 
It is a church of Franciscan monks, and dates from the thir- 
teenth century. In the Piazza St. Croce, in front of the 
church, is a white marble statue, nineteen feet high, of Dante, 
on a pedestal twenty-three feet high. On the four corners of 
the pedestal are four shield-bearing lions, and on the shields are 
the names of the poet's four greatest works. Dante's home was 
in this city, and the monument was dedicated on the six hun- 
dredth anniversary of the poet's birth, May 14th, 1865. 

The church is noted for the frescoes,, which were discovered 
and uncovered within the last twenty years, and for the tombs 



360 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

and monuments of, and to, noted persons, which it contains, 
and for its paintings and statuary. Among the tombs is that 
of Michael Angelo, and among the monuments one to Dante, 
who is buried in Ravenna. 

I well know that any person, who dares to speak uncompli- 
mentarily of the old paintings and frescoes that we are seeing, 
is in danger of being branded as a booby, or worse. The artists 
and painting critics would bury him with withering scorn. If 
from America, the unfortunate individual would fare better, and 
contemptuous charity for his nativity would help him out. 

If, fortunately for him, he happens to be from America, and 
Chicago, he is perfectly safe, unless he be in danger from the 
stroke of canes, which must fall on Towser when he happens to 
walk among the frescoes, for I know no honest dog would do it 
without barking. Of course I know we are to see and accept 
the inspiration that the work conveys. We must see the spirit 
in the childish and grotesque outlines, and having caught the 
inspiration, we must labor through old buildings, deserted mon- 
asteries, and others, until we are loaded, and then when we 
come home to dinner, and are seated at the long table, we must 
control our whetted appetite, between the courses, by elaborating 
our opinion of the greatness of the work, and wonder why it is 
that such artistic greatness has been compelled to die. 

But, alas for the writer, whose education and experience are 
so thoroughly American, and Chicagoan, the inspiration is not 
caught, and the spirit does not deign to impart her spiritness. 
Now, none of you must read the following lines, hence you will 
not repeat them, and I will be safe. I am not good enough to 
die yet, hence am not ready. 

Don't read — If the best painter in the world, the one whose 
works are universally admitted to be the best, who may stand far 
ahead of all others in the profession, should produce works 
exactly in all particulars, like and equal to those which the artists 
are copying, and the continuous procession marching by, he 
would be killed by ridicule. The artists and critics, who are now 
trying to catch the spirit, would dress the poor individual as a 
clown, and bury him under vegetables, to the music of cat-calls. 

The Piazza Delia Signoria is the central point, from which 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 361 

things radiate in Florence. It was in old times the forum of 
the Republic, and the scene of the tumults. It was here that 
Savonarola, and two other Dominican monks were burned, May 
23d, 1498. On one side of this square is the Loggia dei Lanzi. 
These loggias are many in Italy, though none that we have yet 
seen are as large and magnificent as this one. They are galleries 
on tile sides of buildings, usually with arowof columns in front, 
otherwise open. On them, they who might have the special 
privilege, could congregate, and witness what might be going 
on, and be out of the crowd. 

The Loggia dei Lanzi is a structure by itself, dating from the 
fourteenth century. 1 paced it two ways, and make the size to 
-be fifty-five feet by one hundred and twenty-five feet, with the 
long side to the Piazza. I estimate the height of the vaulted 
roof to be sixty feet, and the four columns on the open side to be 
seven feet in diameter. It is ornamented with famous works in 
marble, and is a majestic structure. 

The Galleria degli Uffizi, which you enter from the opposite 
side of the street from the Loggia dei Lanzi, is a gallery of Art 
which originated with the Medici collections, and to which many 
additions have been made. 

On entering the Palace and Gallery, my partner presented the 
pass, which she obtained (on account of being an artist ?) three 
years ago, to the Directory, and had it renewed. It would be 
folly for a person who had spent but two hours in the vast 
collection of the works of the masters, to attempt to describe 
it. I think of it now as two hours of intense interest, made by 
a walk through great corridors and saloons, lined with subjects 
most exquisitely portrayed in magnificent colors, bordered with 
gold, among all of which is an occasional one which I yet see 
more distinctly than others, while constantly, as they pass in 
review again, I see the names of Angelo, Van Dyck, Rubens, 
Fra Bartolommeo, Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, Lotto, and 
all others whose works during the last seven hundred years are 
famous and costly beyond telling. The arrangement of the works 
is in saloons, which show the schools by countries and loca- 
tions,* which helps the hurried visitor much to comprehend the 
difference and the peculiarities. 



362 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

The Tribuna is the central and greatest collection. Of it, 
Baedecker says, " it is a magnificent and almost unparalleled 
collection of masterpieces of ancient sculpture and modern 
paintings." 

Of the whole collection we are told it is one of the best in the 
world, both in extent and value. We were much interested in 
many of the marbles on account of their wonderful artistic quali- 
ties, and the mysterious things of history which cling about 
them. 

So very many of them have unknown histories. They are 
known to have been dug up and brought from Rome, and other 
places, but the circumstances of their being broken, and allowed 
to be buried in the accumulation of ages, are not known. How 
much of the past is mystery ! 

Beside all this vast collection of the masters, there are rooms 
which contain cabinetsof cameos and mosaics and costly jeweled 
ornaments of the Medicis, and others, without possible enu- 
meration or detail here. Mantel and boudoir ornaments, and 
jewelry of the most exquisite design and costly execution. They 
all tell of a splendor unknown, and unimaginable with us of the 
New West. 

This palace of the Medicis is connected by a permanently 
constructed and covered gallery, with the Palace Pitti, on the 
opposite side of the river. It is, say, ten feet wide and eight or 
nine high, and has windows, so that it is light and airy. It is 
built on columns much of the way, though the part where it 
crosses the Arno is on the bridge Ponte Vecchio. This gallery 
runs along the river some distance and crosses it, and for some 
distance on the other side to Palace Pitti. It is lined with art 
all the way, much of which is portraits of the Medicis, and 
others whose names are in history. It takes ten minutes to 
walk from one palace to the other, through this gallery, without 
pausing to look at the pictures and statues. 

Palace Pitti was commenced in construction by Lucca Pitti 
in 1440, the object being to outdo the grandeur of the -Medicis. 
The failure of a conspiracy against the Medicis, cost Lucca his 
power and influence, and the palace finally became the property 
of the Medicis. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 363 

The length of the original building is four hundred and 
seventy-five feet, and it is one hundred and fourteen feet high. 
Wings have been added, hence it is now much larger than these 
proportions tell. Since the sixteenth century the Pitti Palace 
has been one of the homes of the reigning sovereign, and is now 
ihe home of King Humbert, when in Florence. 

We spent a couple more hours in the gallery and magnificent 
saloons, and were shown through the private apartments. It is 
by far the most magnificent palace, or royal residence that we 
we have seen. 

Of the picture gallery we read, " The Pitti Gallery which 
was formerly the property of Cardinal Leopold, and Carlo de' 
Medici, and of the Grand Duke, Ferdinand II, may be regarded 
as an extension of the Tribuna in the Uffizi Gallery. No col- 
lection of Italy can boast of such an array of masterpieces in- 
terspersed with so few works of subordinate merit." 

The grand saloons are magnificent in mosaics, and costly and 
beautiful things beyond telling, and the Treasury, a large and 
secure apartment, is filled with quantities of gold plate, and 
most magnificent, costly and exquisite ornaments, and things 
for the adornment of mantels and boudoirs. 

I think of the several hours spent in the palaces Uffizi and 
Pitti as a dreani of riches unreal, a vast aggregation beyond 
taste. They become a labor to mind and body to comprehend, 
and inconsistent with the depleted treasury of the kingdom, and 
its heavily-discounted paper. It was a relief to be through it 
all, and to pass out into the Boboli Garden adjoining the palace. 

This garden, or park, is the work of the Medicis, and dates 
from the sixteenth century. It is a charming place to pass 
hours ; rich in trees, flowers, and statuary. There are two granite 
basins brought from Rome, each made of one piece of granite. 
They are oblong in shape, and resemble immense bath-tubs. I 
paced and measured one of them, it is twenty-two feet long, ten 
feet wide, and four feet high. 

I will inflict you with more of Florence, as we are far from 
through yet. You know you are not compelled to read these 
letters. 



364 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 



LETTER XL. 

m 

Florence, October 2.\th^ 1894. 

The Cathedral of Florence is chiefly interesting exteriorly. 
It was from 1294 to 1462 building, and since then it has been 
added to and much changed and improved. It is five hundred 
and fifty-six and a half feet long, three hundred and forty-two 
feet wide, and the greatest height is three hundred and fifty-two 
feet. It is finished all over on the outside with different colored 
marbles put on in Florentine mosaic, except in some small 
niches about statues, where the Venetian mosaic is used. 

It is very effective and beautiful, there being, beside the 
general effect, many, very many, statues to study, if one has the 
time and inclination. 

When we stepped in this afternoon, service was going on, 
and the voices of the monks at the farther end of the immense 
barren building, as they intoned rapidly and loudly their prayers, 
sounded very like the hum of machinery. 

There is but little ornamentation on the interior, and not 
many statues, and it is not well lighted, hence the effect is 
barren and dark. There are sixteen altars. The service this 
afternoon was held before the main one, at the opposite end 
from where we entered. We walked leisurely the length of the 
building, and found that the prayers were being said by eighteen 
monks, who sang them in groups of different voices, the voices 
being so blended that the effect was harmonious, if not musical. 
One group or collection of voices would follow another so care- 
fully, that the proper intonation was carried along. Some parts 
were filled by the voices of boys, of whom there were half a 
dozen, or more, sitting among the monks. 

We stood interested for some minutes. There were only five 
or six people in attendance on the service. While we stood by 
the railing, which encircled the altar and monks, we of course 
appreciated the different intonations and inflections of the sing- 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO l)i;( K.MlJEIi. 365 

ing, but when away from there, they were entirely lost, and all 
we heard was a continuous hum, without variation, like that of 
machinery. 

The baptistery of the cathedral is a separate building. It is 
across the street, and was the original cathedral. It was founded 
about the year iioo, but was finished some time later. It 
was here that we saw the baptism of infants, described in No. 39. 
Some magnificent bronze doors of the fourteenth and fifteenth 
centuries by Ghiberti can scarcely be appreciated, on account 
of the dust which is on them. 

The Campanile is a bell-tower. It was begun by Giotto in 
thirteen hundred and thirty-four, and finished after his death 
in 1387. It is square and stands by the cathedral, and is of the 
style of finish of the cathedral, being richly decorated with 
colored marble. It is two hundred and ninety-two feet high, and 
is regarded as one of the finest works of the kind. The statues, 
which help the ornamentation, are the productions of masters 
centuries gone to their long home. Giotto's Campanile is 
another of the many things in Europe, which tell of talent, 
industry, and patience that existed in ages gone. 

Let the spiritual condition of the world be w^hat it may at 
this time, the present external manifestations are very different 
from what they were six, eight, and nine hundred years ago. 
Then Christ, his life, his teachings, were the all-absorbing 
universal subjects, with Europeans. They furnished thought for 
the literati, subjects for the artists, and prayers for all. The 
labor of the artisan was to mould into shape the life and 
teachings of Christ ; the materials were stone, metals, and 
woods. 

Whether the world is better to-day than then, we cannot 
prove, but I suppose we must accept that it is. Evidences 
though, in thought and work, are against that conclusion. 

Thursday, the 25th. — We thought we would start early to-day, 
and get in a full day, and accomplish much. But I would like 
to see the person who can hurry things in Europe. We can 
hurry, and fume, and stew, but 'we are absolutely certain to 
cumc in contact with circumstances which will hold us in the 
grooves in which things move, and when the sun has set, 



366 EUROPE FROxM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

and we look back over the day's work, we see it flying the 
Italian flag. 

People don't move in Europe, in any country, as they do in 
the United States. They start late in the day, and work slowly 
after they do start. I have noticed it every place, and am 
surprised at it. 

This morning at about nine-fifteen we were at the Piazza San 
Marco, and took seats in an electric car to go to Fiesole. We 
sat and chatted until my partner got tired waiting, when she 
went to investigate about the starting of the car, and learned 
that it would go at ten o'clock. Ten o'clock came, but it seemed 
very late about it, and the car started. 

Soon we were out of the city and ascending a high hill, the 
road winding among orchards, bearing olives, figs, grapes, 
pears, and other fruits, and there were homes and flowers, and 
the view over the valley and city was very fine, and kept con- 
stantly changing, as our road changed, and the altitude in- 
creased. 

At the expiration of forty-five minutes we were at the top of 
the hill, several hundred feet above the river, and the valley 
through which it runs, and in which the city is built. We left 
the car in the Piazza, or square, of Fiesole, walked by the 
cathedral through a narrow alley, stopped at a little ticket office, 
layed down a franc, picked up two tickets and passed into an 
inclosure which encircles a Roman Theater, which was ex- 
cavated since 1873. 

There are nineteen encircling steps, which ascend and slope 
back from the parquette of to-day. All, of course, is of stone, 
and the first floor, or story, is in sufficiently good preservation 
to convey quite a complete knowledge of wliat the structure 
was. The plan of the seats and stage, location of the musicians, 
and all, are exactly the same as in a theater of to-day. 

Drawings, which we saw, showing what the theater was, 
proved it to have been large and fine — in fact there are samples 
of the artistic architecture left. A hundred yards, or about, in 
distance, the excavation of a large building, which was devoted 
to baths, is still going on. Enough is done to show the way of 
heating the water, and there is the large public bath, and the 



EUROPE FROM xMAY TO DECEMBER. 367 

smaller and more elegant ones, for those in higher stations of 
life. About this building, in its finish and ornamentation, there 
was much mosaic and fine marble. 

These ruins are on the side of a hill, which is devoted to the 
simple work of raising grapes and olives. Below them a short 
distance is the old Etruscan wall, and above it, the space is 
filled so that the earth in which the grapes and olives grow, is 
higher in fact than the wall. It is quite likely, I think, that if 
the fruit trees were demolished, and the earth excavated, that 
a buried piazza Would be found, with fine pavement and stat- 
uary, as I think the situation of the theater and baths indicate 
that they faced the same square or piazza. 

We looked these material evidences of a great buried world 
over thoroughly, and then went up into the little old town to a 
long, low building, in which are displayed things which were 
found while the excavations were being made. There are 
ornaments, and things of utility from the theater in metal and 
marble, specimen pieces of frescoes and mosaics, pieces of fine 
stone columns, quantities of corns ; entirely too many things to 
mention here. 

We walked about the town and into the cathedral, which dates 
from the eleventh century, dropped a few centimes into the 
hand of the old woman, who unlocked the chapels, went to our 
car, and were soon at home and at luncheon. 

We hear that Florence is a beautiful city. We read that it 
is, and those who have been here tell us so. A beautiful city 
to us has squares and circles, from which stretch wide level 
avenues with trees. In the squares and in the circles will be 
beds of flowers, trees, and grass plats, and there will be settees. 
Well-dressed people will be walking about, and fine carriages 
will be passing. There will be rows of costly and beautifully 
ornamented buildings, with elegant and attractive shops, with 
large windows, which display beautiful goods and wares. 

We see the walks covered with fast-walking people, and the 
streets full of the trucks of commerce, and the equipages of 
pleasure and luxury. But these are not what we see in Florence, 
hence in our acceptation of the term, Florence is not a beautiful 
city. 



368 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

We must remember that the components of Florence were 
modern a half thousand years ago. Then, and for centuries 
after, if not until the very present, the beautiful and magnificent 
in buildings and grounds was confined to the buildings and 
grounds of the Church, and of kings and rulers. 

Church edifices and the palaces of kings were made beautiful, 
but they who built cities, who built Florence, the buildings which 
stand in rows and make a city, used a school of architecture 
which is described in the simple words, " The plainest possible 
for practicability." 

Florence has many interesting and beautiful things, and we 
are delightfully entertained with the things we do and see, and 
will ever remember with pleasure our stay, but must stand by 
the proposition, that great churches and palaces filled with art, 
don't make a beautiful city. 

The surroundings are beautiful. Hills near, and mountains 
in the distance covered with villas and villages, orchards and 
grass, with winding roads are beautiful, and such are the sur- 
roundings of Florence. On one of the sides of the Piazza Delia 
Signoria at right angles with the Loggia dei Lanzi, stands the 
Palace Vecchio. It is a castle-like building, with huge project- 
ing battlements, and was the seat of the Signoria, the Govern- 
ment of the Republic. It was afterward one of the palaces of 
the Medicis, erected in 1298. It is now the City Hall, and 
there is in the great building much famous art, and many things 
left by the Medicis. It took an hour of our time and some of 
our francs this afternoon. 

The church of San Lorenzo was founded in the year 390, and 
is one of the oldest churches in Italy. The present church 
building was built by the Medicis, and seven other families. 
Connected with the church are the new Sacristy and the Chapel 
of the Princes. 

The Sacristy was built by Michael Angelo for Pope Clement 
VII. who was Giulio de Medici. It was intended for a mau- 
soleum for the house of Medici. The great artist worked at his 
task full of bitter feelings on account of the abolition of the 
Republic by Alessandro de' Medici, and in 1534 left it unfinished. 
It is, nevertheless, a wonderful and famed work. 



EUROPE PKOM MAY TO DECEMBER. 369 

The Chapel of the Princes, the burial chapel of the Grand- 
Dukes of the Medicis, was built in 1604. It is octagonal, and 
gorgeously decorated with marbles and costly mosaics. The 
paintings in the dome are magnificent beyond telling. It cost 
about four million, four hundred thousand dollars to build it. 

About on all sides of these two buildings are the tombs and 
monuments of the Medicis. Let us hope they sleep as sweetly 
as the magnificence of their tombs would suggest. 

The Arno, in Florence, is about one hundred and fifty yards 
wide, and is crossed with several arched bridges. The original, 
and perhaps the most interesting of the bridges is the Ponte 
Vecchio, on account of the history that is associated with it. 
Its last demolishment was about the middle of the fourteenth 
century after which the present bridge was built. Along the 
bank of the river on the west is a street, which is lined with 
fashionable shops, while on the other side the unattractive ends 
of the buildings line the stream, resembling much the row on 
the Chicago River, west from State Street bridge, save that 
instead of being a smoky red, they are dirty yellow. 

The river is not much credit to itself or its neighbors. We 
watched men wading in it and fishing. One held a pole from 
which was suspended a large net which he would allow to sink 
down in the water. The other man would circle around and 
splash the water to drive the fish over the net. We saw them 
raise the net but once, then they had five fish. 

"Friday, the 26th. — By omnibus this morning, we w^ent to the 
gate Porta Romana, and from there walking, went up and by the 
Viale dei Colli, one of the finest promenades in Italy. 

It is a hilly, wide road, which bends along the hill, lined with 
fine trees, with the red tile roofs of the city, with its churches 
and palaces to our left. About, on all sides, all the time are 
villas, and fine grounds, and to-day the variegated colored leaves 
showered about us. 

For an hour we loitered along until we came to a high terrace, 
massively arched with stone, leading to the top of which, to the 
left and to the right, were very wide massive flights of stone steps. 
The approach to the steps was all paved with pebbles, set in 
cement, but differing from any work of that kind that I have 
24 



370 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

ever seen in our country, in that the pebbles were assorted 
according to the colors, and were artistically arranged to make 
figures and pictures. High above the terrace, but rising from 
it, was a massive gray wall which inclosed some acres of ground 
and resembled the impregnable wall of a fortress. We asked 
some gendarmes what the place was, and were told " Porto Santo 
Miniato." 

We ascended the steps to the top of the terrace and found 
that from there a wide and grand flight of steps led through the 
fortress-like wall, high up to tiie front of a building which was 
finished in marbles ot different colors, and mosaics. 

We saw that we could not enter there, as the gate which pre- 
cluded indicated that it was rarely used. At another gate, how- 
ever, we entered, and found ourselves in the Necropolis, and 
found that the building referred to above was a church. This 
church of the Necropolis San Miniato dates from the twelfth 
and thirteenth centuries, and is rich with marbles and mosaics. 
The floor is covered with slabs bearing inscriptions to those 
buried beneath, while the walls are covered with tombs and 
monuments. 

We walked about, and inspected the costly tombs, and peculiar 
and costly markers for the dead, and coming to some steps which 
led to the top of the wall, we mounted to it and enjoyed the 
magnificent view of the valley, river, city, and the distant hills. 

About us were villas, among them the Villa Galileo, where 
the astronomer passed the last years of his life, deprived of his 
sight, 1631-1642. Here he did some of his work, and was 
visited by Milton. Near is the villa where Francesco Guic- 
ciardini wrote his history of Italy. Here, too, August 12th, 
1530, some Florentines signed articles by which the city was 
surrendered to the Medicis. 

We came down from the wall and out of the place of the 
dead, walked down the hill and were again back on the crooked 
wide road on the hillside. 

A very short stroll brought us to the Piazzale Michelangelo, 
a wide terrace-like place, with flowers and trees about it, which 
contains an acre or two of ground situated on a promontory 
of the hillside, and surrounded with a low wall. It is supplied 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 37 1 

with seats and has a monument which is made up of five bronze 
figures of the great artist's works. They are copies in bronze 
of his marbles, David, and the four winch the loss of his love 
for the Medicis precluded from completing. These four are 
in the new Sacristy described above. Though unfinished they 
are thought by many to be the master's greatest works. 

From this Piazzale a terraced way, with many flights of steps, 
leads down into the city. It is a popular place to walk and 
drive to. 

As the sun was high, and as we had several numbers yet on our 
program for the day, we took seats in a victoria, and were soon 
whirled down into the city. A call at the office of the banker 
furnished us letters, among them one from home of the loth. 
They were received with welcome, and thankfully read. 

The royal stables took an hour of our time. About thirty 
beautiful horses, galleries of gold harness, and a hall full of 
magnificent state carriages. Carriages built for and used by 
popes and kings, great in size, and magnificent and costly 
beyond description. The one used by King Humbert on the 
occasion of his marriage, I think the most beautiful. The 
modern ones are the most elegant, which seems to indicate that 
kings increase in luxuriance as time rolls on. 

Supplementing what I wrote about the plainness of the archi- 
tecture, and lack of beauty in the much greater portion of the 
buildings of the city, let me say: "We were to-day in the 
Ghetto, the former Jewish quarter. It is now closed, and is 
being torn down and rebuilt. Many fine, modern business 
buildings have already been completed, some of which are 
occupied, and others are in all conditions of construction. The 
fine fronts and big windows were very pleasing to us, and it 
seemed as though we had gotten back to a world where things 
were familiar to us. 

A glance at the history of Florence shows us that in 1125 
Fiesole, the description of our visit to which, made yesterday, 
is above described, was destroyed, and the population trans- 
ferred to the site of Florence. The power of the wealthy 
family Medici developed early in the fourteenth century, and 
the establishment of the Medici Dynasty was in 1429. 



372 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

In science and art Florence has been a leader for half a 
thousand years, and has left an array of names, which the lit- 
erati of the world and artists of the world would fain follow. 
Among them are Dante, Leonardo da Vinci, Michael Angelo, 
Raphael, Fra Angelica, Fra Bartolommeo, and others too 
numerous to mention. 

Our stay here, which has been so intensely interesting and 
enjoyable, ends early Sunday morning, when we leave for 
Rome. 

The next will go to you from there. 



LETTER XLI. 

Florence, Saturday^ October 27//^, 1894. 

It seems that the rules of temperature, which we are used to, 
are not in force this year. Every place where we have been 
since we disembarked at Southampton, until we crossed the 
Alps, we have been uncomfortably cold. In almost all cases 
we have really been quite uncomfortable for the need of fire. 
There has not been a night that we have not slept under double 
blankets and a spread, and usually we have called for an addi- 
tional blanket, and then many times have added our wraps to 
help out. 

Wraps have been comfortable all the time, except a few days 
in the middle of the day, and early in the summer. We bought 
heavier underclothing than we had provided, and usually wear, 
which we have worn all the time. Now we have warm weather, 
and the nights are comfortable and cool. The days are uncom- 
fortably warm to walk about, and it seems that things are going 
wrong this year. 

We started to-day to complete our work in Florence, by going 
again to the palaces Uffizi and Pitti, and having another look 
at the paintings and statuary. We entered first the Uffizi, and 
took separate routes. I am not competent to write of the 
famous art in these greatest of collections, but will mention 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 373 

a few pieces, which you can look at especially when you come 
here. 

The collection in the Uffizi gallery, called the Tribuna, is 
made up of the most famous of masterpieces. In it is a 
Madonna and Child by Correggio, which I think most exqui- 
sitely lovely. Near it stands the Venus de' Medici, of which 
you have heard all your lives. This famous old stone was 
found in Rome, in the sixteenth century, and brought here in 
1680. It bears evidence of harsh treatment, for the head is 
broken off and replaced, both feet have been broken off, and 
the body has been broken in two. The hands are not the orig- 
inal ones, and there are other wounds which have been patched 
and repaired. 

By the Venus stands the Grinder, a figure of a Scythian 
whetting his knife to flay Marsyas. Don't look at it, for the 
hellish expression on the creature's face will haunt you as it 
does me. It also was found in Rome. I noticed that the 
knife was the same shape and size of some which we saw at 
Fiesole, which had been unearthed in the excavations there. 

Near the Grinder, on the wall, is a painting by Daniel Da 
Volterre, who painted in the sixteenth century. It is wonder- 
ful, but a terrible subject, the Slaughter of the Innocents. 

When I went from the Uffizi Palace to the Pitti Palace to- 
day, by way of the covered gallery, described in the last, I de- 
cided that I had not done it justice. Please note this covered 
gallery is a protected passage-way between the two palaces. It 
is ten or more feet wide, and the same high, has a tile floor and 
finished sides and ceiling, and has windows, and is light and 
airy. 

It is lined with art, and requires ten minutes' brisk walking 
to pass through it. Some of the distance it rests on brick 
columns, and in places it rests on the buildings. It crosses the 
river on the bridge Ponte Vecchio, and has many angles, inclines 
and declines. 

As I was passing leisurely through it to-day, when over the 
middle of the river, the guard opened a window and pointed to 
something in the distance, and handed me a field-glass. Of 
course I took the glass, and stepped to the window, then, as 



374 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

they say in our country, " I caught on," and handing back the 
glasses, with some centimes, I -felt a little glad that I was 
alone. 

If possible, the collection of paintings in the Pitti, the 
King's Palace, is more universally fine than in Uffizi. In the 
room marked " Scoula Venita," we noticed a little old gray- 
haired man copying a Flora by Titian. It is the picture of a 
lady, with flowing golden hair, and reminded me immediately 
and forcibly of a lady by the name of Flora, whom I used to 
know, and who is now the mother of a family. She would 
undoubtedly, like her world full of sisters, be very angry, if I 
should say she was like the great painter's ideal, hence I will 
omit her name. 

In another room marked " Scoula Tuscana," I watched two 
artists copying from a painting by Andrea del Sarto. Their 
work was alike in the condition of advancement, yet quite 
different in execution. I conclude that different people cannot 
make copies alike. I met my partner again in the Pitti Palace, 
and we agree.d to each go home, when we should get ready. 
Three hours soon went, and at one o'clock I walked back 
through the long connecting passage-way, and through the 
Uffizi Palace to the street, and came home to lunch. My part- 
ner followed soon after. We will long remember, with much 
interest, the galleries of the Medicis. 

While walking about the city in the afternoon, we strolled 
through the market for the sale of meats, fish, poultry, vegeta- 
bles, and all things for the table. This place is large and well- 
kept, and the goods all of good quality. Judging from the mar- 
kets, we conclude that the Florentines are more particular about 
what they eat than the Venetians are. 

Our walk took us into a little, narrow, crooked street called 
"Via Dante Alighieri." Over the door of No. 2 is this inscrip- 
tion : " In Questa Casa Degli Alighieri Nacque il Divino Poeta." 
It is the house in which Dante was born May 14th, 1265. The 
house is narrow, and four stories high. The two lower stories 
have modern stone fronts, while the balance is the original brick. 

Dante was banished, and died in Ravenna. The Divine 
Comedy was expounded and explained to the people in the 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO Dl-XEMBER. 375 

Piazza Signoria by Giovanni Boccaccio. Dante perfected and 
published tiie Italian language as now used. 

Facing the Piazza Manin is the church San Salvadore Ognis- 
santi which has twenty-six altars. Immediately before one of 
them is a stone which marks the grave of Amerigo Vespucci, 
whose name, instead of the discoverer, went to our country. 
Adjoining the* church is the monastery and the cloisters, which 
are visited on account of the frescoes. We wei^e shown about 
by a very condescending monk, whose long gown was brown in 
color, and whose feet were stockingless and shoeless, save that 
he wore sandals, consisting of a sole and a strap over the foot. 

He was not a specially pleasing representative of the worker 
for regeneration, for his teeth were black, and his breath told of 
tobacco and wine. To us he was very attentive, but his speech 
to the poor sinners, who stood about and waited absolution at 
his hands, was that of command. 

Rome, Sunday, October 28th, 1894. — The stars were shining 
brightly, as we rode to the station on bidding "good-bye" to 
Florence this morning, and it was not until we were well away 
from the very interesting city, that the gray fog of morning met 
us. 

For a couple of hours or more we rode over a finely cultivated 
plain, with mountains in the distance on both sides of the train. 
We stopped at several interesting-looking towns, about the sta- 
tions being crowds of people, who looked well in their Sunday 
attire. The gendarmes, who are ever present, walking slowly 
and stately by twos, were splendid in their Sunday uniforms. 
Order and quiet reigned. 

Later, for two or more hours, we rode through a country, 
the surface formation of which was different from any that I 
have ever seen. It is very hilly, but the hills are not in chains, 
but cover the face of the earth without any order. They are high 
and rough, and for a long distance are almost verdureless, and 
the effect is very weird and peculiar. 

Frequently on the top of a hill we would see an old town, 
several of which are surrounded with walls. These, too, were 
different from anything we had ever seen. In our country we 
have towns on hills, but it is because there is no place else in 



3/6 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

the vicinity to build them, while in the case of the towns, which 
we saw to-day, they are on the top of high, steep hills, at the 
bottom of which are level fields. They tell of a time when 
personal security was the greatest, when one's location was the 
least accessible. Our grand country don't know anything about 
such things. The people of the world must have been a queer 
lot once. 

The last of the ride was made through better country. There 
were good farms and pasture land, and large herds of sheep and 
Limbs. x\t one o'clock we rolled into the station in the Eternal 
City, having been six and a half hours eii route. Immediately 
we were in a cab, and rolling through the most modern appear- 
ing city that we have seen in Europe, 

Tuesday, October 30th : — We are located in the Hotel du Sud 
on Pincio Hill, where once stood part of Ancient Rome. For 
centuries the heights on which Rome once sat and ruled the world, 
were almost unpopulated, while now they are fast being covered 
with wide streets, along which are now, and are being built fine 
buildings of the present century, and all about us are fine hotels 
and business buildings, built within the last few years. 

Ten minutes from our hotel, and we are on the edge of the 
hill overlooking the city, at the top of a flight of one hundred 
and thirty-five stairs, the Scala di Spagna. Below us stretches 
Modern Rome, that is, Rome of the last thousand years. In 
the distance to the right is St. Peter's, as shown by its towering 
dome, while to the left, in the distance, is the Colosseum, cov- 
ered from view by Palatine Hill, and the ruins of the palaces of 
the Emperors. 

We descend the stairway and are on Piazza di Spagna, cross 
it and enter an omnibus labeled " S. Peietro," and in a few 
minutes are at the most famous Piazza in the world, the Piazza 
di S. Pietro, In front of you is the greatest and most famous 
building existing in the world, while immediately by it is the 
greatest and most famous palace on earth. In the middle of 
the Piazza towers an obelisk, which was brought from Heliop- 
olis to Rome by the Emperor Caligula, who reigned in 37 a. d. 
It is without hieroglyphics. 

The Piazza is elliptical in shape, three hundred and seventy 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 377 

yards long, and two hundred and sixty yards wide, at the great- 
est breadth. The sides are inclosed by colonnades, supported 
by four rows of immense columns, between the middle rows of 
which the space is wide enough for two carriages to move 
abreast. On each side of the obelisk is a magnificent fountain, 
forty-five feet high and other proportions in keeping. 

On the roof edges of the colonnades, next the Piazza, are 
one hundred and sixty-two statues of^saints. You disembark 
from the omnibus and pass under the colonnade to the right 
between the wonderful columns of granite, circle around the 
ellipse, and at the foot of the magnificent steps, which lead to the 
entrance of the cathedral, you enter a wide, high, vaulted, sculpt- 
ured, and mighty entrance, divided from the church by a wall ; 
the entrance to the Vatican. A sentinel is there, and other 
soldiers waiting their turn of duty, are about. You see others 
in the same uniform during your tour of the palace. 

The guards in the Vatican, and attendance about the Pope 
aVe Swiss Guardsmen. While I want to convey to you an idea 
of their astonishing costume, I don't want to seem to make 
derision of the Swiss Guard, or anything else about the Vatican, 
for every place in the great palace, we met nothing but the 
most perfect order and extreme courtesy, even to the matter of 
fees, which are very moderate indeed. 

The uniform of the Swiss Guard is made up of red, orange, 
and black, or dark blue flannel, and so made as to seem in 
stripes about two and a half inches wide. The trousers are 
baggy to the knees, and below are tight stockings and shoes. 
The hat is in keeping. The stripes run up and down, and the 
costume is so strikingly like the time-honored American cos- 
tume for clowns, that immediately you think of youthful hours 
of fun, when you faced the arena of the genial Dan Rice, and 
conclude that your usher is the Court Jester. 

What the ordinary visitor sees in the Vatican are the great 
galleries of paintings, the world-famed frescoes by Raphael and 
Michael Angelo, and others of the masters, the incomparable 
museum of antiquities, and the chapels, and libraries. 

What can a man say of those things, who knows nothing 
about them in the first place, ,and who has walked about 



3/8 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

among them for two and a half hours ? Nothing ! If he at- 
tempts, he will give froth. The names attached to the great 
paintings are Raphael, Guido, Murillo, Correggio, Titian, Barto- 
lommeo, and others of their class. The wonderful marbles, 
are many unknown, while others are of the world's greatest 
sculptures. The antiquities are what the name implies, for 
they go into antiquity four thousand years, and in stone many 
are wonderful for enormousness, conception, and execution. 

As we walked through the loggia, glancing at the frescoes, 
which were designed and executed by Raphael, and under his 
supervision, my glance crossed the court to the apartments of 
the aged man, who wields greater power in the affairs of the 
world, than does any other man. Rome, to-day, comes nearer 
to ruling the world than does any other power. 

I thought of the recent visit of Chauncey M. Depew to the 
Vatican, and remembered that the papers expressed wonder 
at the length of the audience granted him, and that he, not a 
church dignitary, should have an audience at all. Chauncey is 
smooth, but not any smoother than his host. You don't hear 
of any trouble with the employees of the New York Central. 
Both had axes to grind, and they ground them. 

The Sistine Chapel in the Vatican is famous for the frescoes 
of Michael Angelo, but the chapel is not well lighted, and the 
frescoes are _ very dark in color. They have of course great, 
the greatest possible, artistic merit, but they are entirely with- 
out pleasing effect. As the artistic qualities can only be seen 
wdth the use of a glass, and by time and study, to me it is a 
dingy, unattractive place. 

During the pontificate of Symmachus, early in the sixth cen- 
tury, a palace was erected on the site of the Vatican, since 
then it and the succeeding buildings have been the homes of 
the Popes, when in Rome, though sometimes they have resided 
in the Quirinal. 

Few who look back to their school-days will fail to rem"ember 
the little geography, which they thumbed and labored over, 
which contained a picture of the Colosseum. I remember it 
well, and the mystery with which it filled my boy brain. It 
has remained with me a thing of interest, which now, as one of 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 379 

the results of the decision, which we made some months ago, 
to make this trip, I have seen. 

It looks like the little old picture made it look, and the sur- 
roundings seemed quite familiar, owing to the fairly correct 
idea I had formed of them. The Amphitheatrum Flavium, the 
largest theater, and one of the most imposing structures in the 
world, was completed by Titus, a. d. 80. It was inaugurated 
by gladiatorial combats, which continued a hundred days, and 
in which five thousand wild animals were killed. 

Naval contests were also exhibited, and it had seats for 
eighty-seven thousand people. Since the eighth century it has 
been known as the Colosseum. 

In 248 the Emperor Philip celebrated the one thousandth 
anniversary of the foundation of Rome, with great games. In 
405, gladiatorial combats were abolished by Honorius as incon- 
sistent with Christianity. Wild-beast combats were continued 
long after, but were discontinued, when in 1332 the Roman 
nobility introduced . bull-fights. Soon after this the destruction 
commenced, and the great thing became a quarry, from which 
material was drawn for palaces, and other things. 

In the middle of the eighteenth century the destruction was 
stopped by the Pope, who consecrated it as a place of Chris- 
tian worship, on account of the blood of Christian martyrs, 
that had flowed there. Now the Colosseum is only a majestic 
ruin, through and over which a stream of sight-seers constantly 
flows. 

My partner and I walked over, through, and around it to our 
entire satisfaction. The original rriagnificence of the gigantic 
thing is only seen now in the fragments of great columns, and 
an occasional richly-carved capital, which lie about the great 
arena. Modern steps lead up over the great masonry, which 
supported the people, and only the columns remain to mark 
the place where the Emperors sat to see people carve each 
other, and others devoured by lions. 

Near by the Colosseum is the Triumphal Arch of Constan- 
tine, which he erected after his victory over Saxa Rubra in 311, 
when he declared himself in favor of Christianity. The work 
is well preserved, and you pass under it en route to the Appian 



380 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

Way. The fine sculptures which adorn it, were taken from 
the Arch of Trajan, which then stood at the entrance of 
Trajan's Forum. 

From the Arch of Constantine we walked west over a road- 
way, that is used now only by pedestrians, which runs along 
on the side of the elevation which culminates with Palatine 
Hill, immediately by it on the left, and under the Arch of Titus 
to the Forum Romanum. 

The Triumphal Arch of Titus w^as erected by his successor, 
Domitian, in 81 a. d., to commemorate his defeat of the Jews 
in 70 A. D. It is said no Jew ever passes under it. I have not* 
inquired yet, of all the Jews, whether that is true or not. 

The distance from the Colosseum to the Forum Romanum 
is but little, about equal to three squares in our city. The 
Forum, perhaps the most interesting ruin, or collection of ruins 
in Rome, is in area about equal to three times the square in 
which w^e live in Chicago, and lies the long way from north- 
west to southeast. 

You enter the Forum from the east by way of the Arch of 
Titus, while the left of it is bounded by the steep side and 
ruins of Palatine Hill. In front of you to the west is Capito- 
line Hill, and on the north side is the city. 

The land on which the Forum stands was originally very low, 
and subject to overflow. This was stopped by Tarquinius 
Priscus, the fifth of the kings, who constructed a canal which 
yet does good service. The excavations are fully twenty-five 
feet below the present street level. I see I am too careful about 
exaggerating, for on consulting the figures, I find that in some 
places they are forty feet below the present street level. 

What the visitor sees now of the Forum is standing columns 
of granite, with richly-carved capitals of marble; The old 
pavement, the remains of the Rostra, or Orators, tribune, 
erected by Julius Caesar, and collections of fine massive stone 
columns, which indicate the locations of temples and basilicas. 

We note the colonnade of the Twelve Gods, the temple of 
Vespasian, the temple of Concordia, founded 366 b. c, the 
temple of Saturn, the temple of Castor and Pollux, the Basi- 
lica Julia, by Caesar, 46 b. c. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 38 1 

The Temple of Saturn is marked by eight granite columns, 
497 B. c. The Grand Arch of Septimius Severus, seventy-five 
feet high and eighty-two feet wide, is yet quite good. It com- 
memorates the victories of the Emperor and his sons, and has 
stood all kinds of storms for nearly seventeen hundred years. 
And yet these are but few of the remains that the excavations 
have exposed. 

It is a grand place to put in time, and it tells of a great past. 
About you lie fragments of carved stones, the talent to make 
which does not exist to-day. Many of them large, and quite 
perfect, have served as foundation-stones under buildings for 
centuries. Think of round granite columns five feet in diameter, 
and fifteen feet long, and which show that they have been 
broken in two ! Where did they come from ? How were they 
handled ? How broken in two ? 

Pieces of statuary and fine marble, and the remains of kilns, 
in which statues of marble were burned to make lime. The 
Forum shows that Rome has had enemies. 

The Temple of Caesar, near which he erected a new Oratori- 
cal Tribune. It was from this Tribune, at the funeral of the 
murdered Emperor, on the 19th and 20th of March, 44 B. c, 
that Mark Antony delivered the oration which lives yet. 

A funeral pyre was hastily prepared, and the body of the 
illustrious dead was burned there by the excited people. But 
who can write the story of the Forum in a letter ? 
"The next will tell what we think of St. Peter's. 



LETTER XLII. 

Rome, Thursday^ November ist, 1894. 

As you stand at the end of the Piazza di S. Pietro, opposite 
the cathedral, and face it, you feel disappointed. You feel that 
the great church edifice does not support its reputation. You 
overlook the fact that everything about you is enormous. 

On your right and left are the great colonnades, which circle 



382 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

around the sides of the elliptical-shaped Piazza to the steps of 
the church, in which are two hundred and eighty-four granite 
columns, six feet in diameter and high in proportion. On top 
of the colonnades are the one hundred and sixty-two giant 
statues of Saints. 

In the middle of the Piazza, and immediately in front of you, 
is the obelisk, four great stands of candelabra, and two immense 
fountains. All of these gigantic things are immediately about 
you, while the church is twelve hundred feet distant. It does 
not look high, nor do the granite columns which are incorpo- 
rated in the front, look large. As you approach it, however, it 
grows rapidly in width and height, and when you have reached 
the first of the grand steps, which reach across the front, you 
are amazed at the enormous thing before you, and when you 
have reached the topmost one, and are ready to enter the loggia, 
you find the granite columns to be eight feet in diameter, and 
by counting the layers of granite blocks, which compose them, 
you estimate their height to be a hundred feet, independent of 
base and capital. Thenceforth, your disappointment v/ill be 
supplanted with amazement. Nothing about St. Peter's will 
seem small. 

The church of St. Peter's is said to have been founded by 
Constantine at the request of Pope Sylvester First. The site 
is where it is supposed St. Peter suffered martyrdom by being 
crucified head down. It is understood to have contained the 
brazen sarcophagus of the apostle. 

On Christmas, 800, Charlemagne received the Imperial Crown 
of Rome in the church from the hands of Leo III. This church 
underwent changes and was added to until, tradition says, Pope 
Julius II decided that a new building must be erected. Plans 
by Brabante, now in the Uffizi Palace, Florence, were adopted, 
and on April i8th, 1506, the corner-stone was laid in the pres- 
ence of thirty-five cardinals. 

Many changes in the plans of Brabante were worked into the 
building by the directory, among whom was Raphael, until in 
1546 Michael Angelo came to be the builder, and he discarded 
the innovations, and went back to the plans of Brabante. After 
the death of Angelo some unhappy innovations were worked 



EUROPE FROM -MAY TO DECEMBER. 383 

into the plan, some of which were abandoned and removedj so 
that the building, as we see it, is substantially the work of Bra- 
bante and Michael Angelo as builders. 

The new church was consecrated on the i8lh of November 
1626, by Pope Urban VIII, on the thirteenth hundred anniver- 
sary of the consecration of the original one. 

St. Peter's is the largest church edifice in the world. It covers 
an area of eighteen thousand square yards, and the total length 
is six hundred and ninety-six feet, and the greatest width inside 
is four hundred and fifty feet ; to the top of the dome four hun- 
dred and three feet ; to the top of the cross, four hundred and 
thirty-five feet ; diameter of the dome, one hundred and thirty- 
eight feet. 

Including the high altar, there are forty altars, and one hun- 
dred and forty-eight columns. It had cost, to the end of the 
seventeenth century, fifty million dollars, and the yearly cost of 
care and maintenance now is thirty-seven thousand, five hundred 
dollars. 

We gave the great church three hours of our time, the last half 
hour of which was spent on the roof, and on the gallery above 
the dome. From there we had a grand panoramic view of the 
city, and the Roman Campagna. 

Nothing is lacking in St. Peter's but roller chairs. The 
bronzes, marbles, and mosaics are free from dust, and shine 
with care. The bright light of the sun streams in from all sides, 
and falls on gold, marble, and mosaics. It is gigantic, amaz- 
ing, magnificent, beautiful ! A place to spend months in ! An 
unlimited gallery of art by masters in marble, mosaic, bronze, 
and oil. An unequaled example of patience and toil, a mam- 
moth masterpiece in mechanics ; a thing of beauty, a joy for- 
ever. 

The treasury is a wealth in gold and precious stones, which 
have come as presents, and things sacred under the traditions 
which surround them. 

In the center, under the great dome, is the magnificent tomb 
of St. Peter, while near stands the statue which passes for his. 
It is in bronze, and was originally made to represent some other 
person, but was adopted for the martyred saint. So satisfied 



384 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

has the world been with the substitution, that the right foot has 
half disappeared under the pressure of lips that have been applied 
to it. 

As we stood before the great paintings, which represent the 
martyrdom of Christian Saints, I wondered if any of the church 
dignitaries who swarm the great cathedral ever stop to think, 
that fifteen centuries later the church which they work in was 
torturing to death the believers in Jesus Christ, by thousands, 
in many countries, and that now museums are supplied with the 
tools and machines which they used in the hellish work. 

One thirty. — "To Palatine Hill," and the cab-driver shook 
his lines, and the lean Roman quadruped hobbled off. Down 
the hill, away from the fine new buildings, through the crooked 
narrow streets around the Roman Forum, and we stopped at a 
gate. We dropped two francs, picked up the tickets, and say- 
ing " Yes, come on," to a man who had said " Guide, Signor ? " 
three of us passed inside the inclosure to inspect another of the 
" Monuments National," the homes, or the ruins of the homes, 
of the Caesars. 

"What is that round building, that is made of brick, and 
looks so old?" " It was a pagan temple, but is now a Chris- 
tian Church." " What arch is that ? " and we pointed to an 
arch a short distance off. " The arch of Janus, Signoria." 
The arch of Janus is supposed to have been built in honor of 
Constantine the Great. It used to have a second story, but it 
is gone now. 

The Palatine Hill bounds the Forum on the south, and is the 
original site and center of the mistress of the world, the Roma 
Quadrata, the fragments of the walls of which have been found 
in several places. 

It was the home of Hortensius, Cataline, Cicero, and Clodius. 
Augustus was born here, and after the battle of Actium, lived here. 
His palace was the Domus Augustana, and adjoining it was the 
temple of Apollo, which he built. Tiberius built a palace on 
the north side of the hill, but Nero did not have room enough, 
so his palace, the Golden House, had to extend to other terri- 
tory, but was partly here. 

The Emperors of the Flavian dynasty lived on Palatine Hill. 



europp: from may to December. 385 

Vespasian commenced, and Domitian completed the palace of 
Domus Flavia. The Stadium was erected, it is supposed, by 
Hadrian. Septimius Severus extended the Flavian Palace by 
erecting an addition seven stories high, and so the story goes. 

The whole hillside and top is a mass of ruins, majestci 
and wonderful. Great aic.ios and corridors, fragments of 
mosaics and frescoes, pieces of fine carvings, which show costly 
and beautiful embellishments. The Stadium shows where the 
games were held, and where the Emperors sat, when they wit- 
nessed them. The ruins on the side of the hill show where 
the schools were, and the fragments of frescoes yet bear in- 
scriptions and characters left there by mischievous pupils, show- 
ing that youngsters at the commencement of the Christian era 
had the same proclivities as their successors under eighteen 
centuries of Christianity. 

The house of Livia, the Empress who lived about the time 
of the Christian era, bears fragments of fine frescoes. A glass 
jar of fruit is perfection as a painting. Immediately I saw the 
difference between these frescoes and those that we have been 
seeing, made in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. They 
are pleasing and beautiful, while the others, following from 
thirteen to fifteen centuries after, are — well, I have told you 
about them before. 

It is easy to see in the forest of ruins on Palatine Hill the 
magnificence with which all were adorned. Even the school- 
buildings, which the public used, yet bear fragments of beauti- 
ful frescoes, and quantities of scraps of exquisitely carved 
marbles. 

Night came, as it has for so many centuries, and we were 
compelled to go home, though we could well have spent hours 
more. 

In the Palace Barberini we saw Guido Reni's Beatrice Genci, 
and also her mother's and stepmother's portraits. It is said 
that the artist made the portrait of the abused girl, by visiting 
her during her imprisonment. It is a pale, troubled face that 
the great artist left on the canvas. 

After walking through the gallery, and the grand saloon of 
the palace, we passed through the garden into the street. In 
25 



386 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

the Casino of the Palace Rospigliosi, which stands at the end of 
the garden some distanee from the palace, on the ceiling of the 
principal room is a fresco, Guido Reni's greatest work. It is 
Aurora strewing flowers before the chariot of the god of the 
Sun. It is exquisitely lovely, and copies adorn many homes 
the world over. 

Thursday, November ist, All Saints' day. — At nine-thirty we 
were at St. Peters to witness Solemn Mass. It was executed 
by three priests and attendants, and there were present Car- 
dinal Rompolli, who is private secretary to the Pope, seven arch- 
bishops, some bishops, and a company of priests, and a lot of 
choir boys. The service was held in the Chapel of the Assump- 
tion, which, when the procession had marched in, was quite 
filled. 

The chapel is separated from the body of the church with 
grating, and in the doorway, or gateway, more properly speaking, 
the people crowded, until the place was packed, and the rest 
stood on the outside and peeped through the gates and grating. 
No seats were provided for the people, but the fat princes of 
the Church, however, were well provided with such little unnec- 
essary things as seats and nice places. 

The service was gone through with in the latest and most 
approved fashion, but the people were relieved of all responsi- 
bility in the business. All of those wearing the garbs, or regalia 
of the Church, from the ermine of the cardinal to the smallest 
choir boy, were the recipients of attention and prayers, but we 
sinners, who were sandwiched and crowded about the gates and 
grating, were expected to get there by catching on, if we could 
do so. But — we have attended Solemn Mass in St. Peter's, 
seats or no seats. 

Via Appia, or Appian Way. — In a few minutes after leaving 
your hotel, you have passed through Modern Rome, and are in 
Old Rome and the Appian Way, or, as the name is, Via Appia. 
For a couple of miles nearest the city the Appian Wa}^ is about 
forty feet wide, with walls on the sides ten or more feet high. 
It is paved with granite blocks about five inches square. Be- 
yond this distance the walls are gone, and in their place stand 
the ruins of the tombs of Rome's great of twenty centuries gone. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. ^^y 

Here the pavement is like broken stone and cement, while 
occasionally you pass over little pieces of the ancient pave- 
ment, which is granite stones, varying in size and shape from a 
foot to two feet square. We were very well satisfied that the 
samples were small and far between, for the carriage jolted 
awfully. 

You pass through the wall of the city at the gate Porta St. 
Sebastino, and soon are passing along a ridge of land, which is 
cousiderably higher than that of the Campagna, which lies near 
to the right, and which is lost in distance toward the lowering 
sun. On the left is a narrow strip of the Campagna, which is 
bounded by mountains, and before you are mountains. 

The road was built by Appius Claudius Caecus, 312 b. c. 
It was excavated 1850-1853 as far as the eleventh mile-stone. 
In distance that would equal four or five squares from the 
Palatine Hill, and the Colosseum, we leave the carriage and 
pass into the enormous ruin Thermae of Caracalla, or Baths of 
Caracalla, as we, who speak English, say, begun by Caracalla in 
212, and which accommodated sixteen hundred bathers, now 
majestic ruins of a forest of walls eighty feet high, with arches 
sixty feet, and wide in proportion. Mosaic floors as the pride 
of Rome trod them, and fragments of statues and columns 
against which they leaned. Patches of most beautifully carved 
marble frieze, and patches of frescoes, and slabs of porphyry. 

I looked particularly at a piece of granite column, which is 
five feet in diameter, and at some beautifully carved capitals, 
which had surmounted columns at least two feet in diameter, 
and all about in the walls are niches which contained statues. 

The establishment was quadrangular in form and seven hun- 
dred and twenty feet by three hundred and seventy-two feet. 
It had facilities for hot, cold, and tepid baths on an enormous 
scale. There was a library, assembly hall, lounging rooms, etc. 
A race-track was also an appurtenance, while the grounds in 
area were three hundred and sixty yards each way, and were 
inclosed with a wall. Such were the baths of Caracalla, one of 
the club-houses of Old Rome. 

We saw where the celebrated statues Farnese Bull, Hercules, 
and the Flora of Naples stood ; and were in the Tepidarium, 



388 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

the Caldarium, and the Frigidarium. We went down and looked 
at the furnace, and saw how the hot air was forced into the 
water. We saw that some of the world knew how to do things 
centuries ago. 

Again we were seated in the carriage, and were rattling along 
between the walls, when the driver stopped the horse and 
pointed to the Columbaria. Leaving our seats, we ascended a 
flight of steps by the side of the wall, and pulled a bell-wire. 
Soon a rosy-faced, fat girl opened a door, and we passed through 
the wall and ascended some steps and a steep path, until we 
were, say, thirty feet above the road. There we found a cot- 
tage, and a man, with a key in his hand, beckoned us to follow 
him under the grape-arbor. 

Soon we came to a building, the eaves of which were but five 
or six feet from the ground, and which was, say, twenty feet 
square. He opened a door in the building and we saw a square 
hole in the ground, which was the size of the building, and say 
fifteen or eighteen feet deep. The walls were masonry, and 
the bottom cemented. The sides were devoted to pigeon-holes, 
about ten or twelve inches square, in which were urns contain- 
ing the ashes of those who left this mundane sphere in the 
long, long time ago. This tomb contained places for five hun- 
dred and fifty urns, but its very near neighbor, which we also 
visited, intended for people of higher rank, was not built for so 
many. 

There were inscriptions, and fragments of marbles, and 
patches of frescoes, and there were some marble heads of the 
dead. • 

The first one described was for the slaves and freedmen of 
Marcella, niece of Augustus, and it was built a. d. io. I. have 
not the history of the other, but it was undoubtedly contem- 
poraneous. 

We left a franc with the man of the key, and some centimes 
with the fat girl, and were soon again jolting on. By the stone 
marked " III. Kilometers," stands an old, old church, the church 
of Domine Quo Vadis. Sunk in the floor is a white marble 
stone, in which is the imprint, or tracks,, of two feet. The leg- 
end is, that St. Peter, while fleeing from martyrdom, met the 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 389 

Master, of whom he asked, " Lord, where goest thou ? " and 
received the answer, " I go to Rome to be crucified the second 
time," whereupon the Apostle, ashamed of his weakness, 
returned. 

By the old road, and the old church with the sacred legend, 
is a well with cool water ; we drank of it. Again we went on 
and again we stopped, this time at the church and catacombs 
of St. Sebastian. On entering the church we found a party of 
six or eight people all holding long, lighted tapers, ready to 
descend to the catacombs. 

Tapers were handed us, which we lighted, and the procession 
started, headed by a little, short monk, with pleasing face and 
partly shaved head, and whose feet were covered with the straps 
of the sandals only. One flight down we stopped at the tomb 
of the saint, whose name the church has, and then we went 
down more steps and arrived at the catacombs. 

The catacombs of Rome are excavated in a brown, soft kind 
of stone called Tufa. Owing to the saint's day, the catacombs 
which is the most interesting in embellishments of chapels and 
tombs, we could not enter, it being closed, but the one we did 
enter did very well. For some minutes our procession wound 
through the narrow passages. They are from three to five feet 
wide, and in the sides are the holes that contained, many of 
which yet contain, the remains of the dead. 

These secret burial-places of the Christians have many evi- 
dences of the danger in which they lived from pagan hate, 
among them is the figure of a laurel twig on many of the slabs 
which denotes that the occupant had died a martyr. 

Occasionally we came to little rooms, having fragments of 
frescoes and marbles, which were chapels. As we returned to 
the church and dropped a donation, my partner arranged for 
the tapers, and you will see them some time in Chicago, if you 
want to. 

We continued our ride, until the sun, looking red and very 
large, seemed to be sinking into the Campagna, and the air 
seemed heavy and cold. We were out from the city, I should 
say five or six miles, all the distance of which we were passing 
through a forest of ruins, and when we turned to the city, they 



390 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

yet continued as far as we could see in all directions, grim spec- 
ters of a great unknown past. 

All along by the road, and in the fields, are great and small 
fragments of heavy brick masonry, which show that they were 
once adorned with columns and marbles. On the left, some 
distance from the road, all the distance are the ruins of the great 
Claudius Aqueduct, which once supplied Rome with water. It 
is built of brick and mortar, and is supported at considerable 
height from tlie ground by columns of the same material. 

These ruins, like all others in Italy, are called Government 
Monuments, and are at last being rigidly cared for. They are 
kept patched, and are prevented from crumbling away and fall- 
ing down, by mason work, in restoring parts. Many times you 
will see a rough old wall, that will have pieces of carved marble 
cemented to it to show the elegance which Vandalism has de- 
prived it of. All the way along by the roadside are fragments 
large, and small, now carefully guarded by law and gendarmes, 
which tell of the past magnificence of the Appian way. But few 
people live along the road, there being no homes worthy of note. 
You meet no traffic teams, and nothing else but tourists, and 
mounted gendarmes and an occasional strolling ragged peasant, 
or beggar, and there are but very few trees. 

Night was well on, when we rolled through the city to our 
hotel. The lights were lighted, and the streets were filled with 
hurrying people, and vehicles of all kinds, as they are in all 
larsre cities at that hour. 

The next will tell you of to-day. All Souls' Day, — a mixed day. 



LETTER XLIII. 

Rome, Saturday, Nov. 3^^, 1894. 

Yesterday was All Souls' Day, and believing we came within 
the number, we went to the Pantheon. 

The Pantheon is the only ancient building in Rome, that is 
intact as to the walls and the vaultings. The original statues 
and ornamentation have long since disappeared, and have been 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 39I 

replaced with inferior ones, but the great circular building and 
wonderful colonnade still stand, a monumental illustration of 
pagan greatness. The walls are brick, twenty feet thick, and 
were originally covered with marble and stucco. The portico 
is thirty-six yards wide, and fourteen yards deep. It has sixteen 
Corinthian columns of granite, thirteen feet in circumference, 
and twenty-nine feet high. The height and width of the dome 
are equal, being one hundred and forty feet. 

It contains the tomb of Victor Emmanuel, which was yester- 
day covered with flowers, and about which burned many candles, 
and two officers high in rank in the army, stood in attendance. 
On the opposite side is the tomb of Raphael, and six or eight 
priests were celebrating mass, but there were not any people in 
attendance. It was explained to me, that the lack of attendance 
at the Pantheon service was owing to the division between the 
Vatican and Quirinal. The Pantheon being the burial-place of 
the late King, only those who are of the King's party would go 
there. Let this be as it may, I am surprised at the small at- 
tendance at church service in Italy. We have been here now 
two important days in the Church, and have seen almost empty 
churches. It compares very unfavorably with the crowds we 
are used to seeing in the Catholic churches. 

Great churches, in which will be large companies of priests 
and monks, chanting the masses, and not six people present. 
The first day we were in St. Peter's the service was being con- 
ducted by twenty-five priests, entirely for their own benefit, and 
we two, and a few other couples of sightseers. 

On leaving the great temple, which was built by M. Agrippa, 
who was son-in-law of Augustus, 27 b. c. , we found a cab 
driver, who could speak French (there are none who speak 
English), and employed him by the hour, and these are some 
of the places we visited : 

The Ghetto, where the Jews used to be compelled to live and 
stay. It was inclosed by a wall, and the Dominican Pope, Paul 
IV., 1555-59, drove them inside it, and commanded them never 
to come out unless the men wore yellow hats, and the women 
yellow veils. The Ghetto has been demolished some time, but 
it is yet the Jewish quarter. 



392 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

Theatre Marcellus is near the Palace of Cenci and the Ghetto. 
It is in the Piazza Montanara, and was begun by Cssar, and 
completed by Augustus, 13 B, c. It is stone, four or five stories 
high, and was a great building, said to be capable of holding 
twenty thousand people. It is now used for workshops, and 
perhaps as cheap living places. The capitals and columns show 
much past elegance. 

The Palace of the Cencis is yet quite intact. It is by the 
Ghetto, and used for homes of common people, and for cheap 
shops. The window of Beatrice's room was pointed out to 
us. 

The Temple of Vesta is a round building, the picture of which 
many of you are familiar with. It is, say, forty feet in diameter, 
and is surrounded with twenty Corinthian columns more than 
two feet in diameter. It is a church now. 

We crossed the Tiber at the place of the Four Bridges, on 
one of the four, near which is the ruins of the bridge Ponte 
Rotto, built 181 B. c. Not many yards from the temple of 
Vesta, but across the present street, are the remains of aside of 
a house, which are say, twenty feet wide, and twenty-five feet 
high. They are incorporated with the wall of a much more 
modern building, and are composed of stone, there being 
columns and much carving. It is the house of Rienzi, whose 
address to the Romans it is, and has been, the special pfeasure 
of school boys of recite. 

The Temple of Fortune, supposed to have been built by King 
Servius, is now part of the church St. Maria inCosmedin, and is 
very near the house of Rienzi, one side and corner of the ancient 
temple forming part of the church. It, too, is made of columns 
and richly carved stone. 

Where the Forum of Augustus was, you see now some ruins 
of towers, and arches, which belonged to the Temple of Mars 
Ultor, which was in the Forum. Of the Forum of Trajan there 
is excavated a space, say two hundred by three hundred feet. 
It contains a great many magnificent polished granite columns, 
some of which I think are fully five feet in diameter. The ex- 
cavation, I should say is about ten feet below the present street 
level. Trajan's Column is in the north end of this Forum, and 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 393 

is a round shaft of marble, eighty-seven feet high, and the ped- 
estal and statue on top, make it one hundred and forty-seven 
feet. The shaft is encircled with a spiral band three feet wide, 
and six hundred and sixty feet long. It is filled with figures in 
relief, two and a half feet high, which tell the story of the Em- 
peror's wars. 

There are twenty-five hundred figures of human beings, and 
many animals. 

Beneath the column Trajan was interred, and his statue 
was on the top, but that is now replaced with the statue of St. 
Peter. 

In the Piazza Colonna is the Column of Marcus Aurelius. 
It is a duplicate of Trajan's Column, save that it is but ninety- 
five feet high, and is crowned \vith a statue of St. Paul. 

The palace of the Vestal Virgins is on the side of Palatine 
Hill. It is a very imposing ruin, and the plan and uses of the 
different rooms seem to be well described. 

Our driver took us to the building, now a church, in which 
St. Peter \vas imprisoned. We descended into the low dark 
cell, which the apostle occupied, where is the spring from which 
came the w^ater with which he baptized the prisoners and the 
jailer's family. Our driver knew the city and the antiquities 
well, and we accomplished much. 

Another expedition took us to the church St. Giovanni in 
Laterano. In the middle of the piazza of the same name is a 
red granite obelisk, which was erected by King Thothmosis 
III., who reigned 1597 b. c. It stood before the Temple of the 
Sun in Thebes, and was brought to Rome by Constantine, and 
placed in the Circus Maximus in 357. 

The size of this church is very great, and the ornamentation 
most magnificent. It is famous as being the principal church 
of Rome, after the time of Constantine the Great, who pre- 
sented Pope Sylvester III. with a building which had been the 
property of the Laterani family, and fitted up a church in it. 
It was destroyed by an earthquake in 896, and was rebuilt and 
burned in 1308 and 1360. It is a great and magnificent church, 
and has had much prominence in ecclesiastical doings for many 
centuries. 



394 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

Adjoining the church is the Palace Laterano, which was the 
residence of the Popes from the time of Constantine down to 
the time of their migration to Avignon. There is a museum 
and gallery of art in the palace, and many things of extraordi- 
nary interest in and connected with the church, among which 
are the marble statues of the twelve Apostles, that are in 
the church. They are of heroic size and most magnificent 
works. 

On another side of the Piazza is a building in which is the 
Scala Santa, or as we would say it, " The Sacred Stairs." A 
flight of twenty-eight marble steps which were brought from the 
Palace of Pilate at Jerusalem in 326 by the Empress Helena. 
They are much worn, but for some years have been protected 
by a covering of wood. 

The ascent is only allowed to be made on the knees. There 
are sufficient people in the world who love the Saviour enough 
to make very, very many who go up the long stairway on 
their knees. 

By tram-car we passed through the gate Porto S. Paolo, and 
went to the- church S. Paolo Fuori le Mura, or church of St. 
Paul, which is one and a half miles outside the wall of the 
city. It was founded in 388 by Theodosius and Valentinian II. 
on the site of a small church of Constantine. 

It has been restored and embellished, destroyed and rebuilt. 

It, too, is another great church edifice, and is three hundred 
and ninety feet long, and one hundred and ninety-five feet wide, 
and seventy-five feet high, interior measurement. The interior 
finish is polished marble of several kinds, a polished marble 
floor of several colors and most beautiful design. There are 
eighty magnificent polished granite columns, from the Simplon 
Pass, or near it. There are great columns of yellow alabaster 
from Egypt, and almost unmeasurable quantities of mosaic. 
Some people think St. Paul's more beautiful than St. Peter's, but 
they can only refer to the interior, for the exterior is plain and 
unattractive. It marks the spot of the martyrdom of the 
Apostle whose name it bears. 

Near the Porto S. Paolo, en route to and from St. Paul's, you 
pass the pyramid of Cestius inclosed by Aurelian within the 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 395 

city wall. It is built of brick and is covered with marble 
blocks ; height one hundred and sixteen feet, and ninety-eight 
feet square at the base. It is the tomb of Caius Cestius, who 
died 12 B. c. Among other things, that the inscription says, 
is, that the deceased was a praetor, tribune of the people, and 
member of the college of Septemviri Epulones, or priests who 
superintend the solemn sacrificial banquets. It also says, that 
the pyramid was erected in three hundred and thirty days, 
under the supervision of L. Pontius Mela, and the Freedman 
Pothus. So much for Friday ; it was a mixed program. 

Saturday, to-day, my partner had some errands to do, and we 
dropped our work for the forenoon. She went about her shop- 
ping, and I remained at the hotel. 

At one o'clock we took seats in a carriage for a drive, and 
very soon were at the Piazza del Popolo, in which stands an 
obelisk between four lions that spout water. The obelisk was 
brought from Heliopolis, by order of Augustus, after the defeat 
of Antony. 

Passing from the piazza, through the wall of the city by the 
gate, Portal del Popolo, we turned to the right and entered the 
park of the Villa Borghese. We drove for a long time among 
the trees and statuary, and finally stopped at the Villa, which is 
now a gallery of art belonging to the Borghese family. It is a 
great collection of art, among which are three wonderful marbles, 
Apollo and Daphne, and David with the Sling, two of Bernini's. 
In an adjoining room is the Venus Victrix, which is a statue of 
Pauline Bonaparte, who was married into the Borghese family. 
The great paintings I will not dwell on. 

This estate belonged to Count Cenci, a villainous old scoun- 
drel, who lived and was murdered in the fifteenth century, if I 
remember correctly. The law provided that the property of 
any person who should be convicted of an atrocious crime, 
became the property of the State, and the State was the Pope. 

When Cenci was murdered, suspicion fell on his family, and 
the murder was undoubtedly planned by his oldest son and 
second wife, whose lives, with all other members of the family, 
he had rendered unendurable by villainous treatment. But, to 
obtain the property, it was necessary that all the members of 



39^ EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

the family should be convicted, and removed, and this included 
the daughter Beatrice, and a son fourteen years old. These 
two, if not others, all felt were innocent. The young son was 
saved from execution by the intervention of some citizens, but 
the rest were executed. 

Regardless of the yet remaining heir, the young son, the 
property was confiscated, and as the Count was immensely 
rich, it was very vast. 

The Pope was a Borghese, hence you have the story of the 
way the great estate became the property of Prince Borghese. 
The succeeding Pope compelled some of the property to be re- 
turned to the heirs, and within this century suits have been in 
Court to obtain more of it for them. 

On descending from the gallery, the driver took us through 
the great park of the estate, and then we told him to take us 
into the country, and back to the city by another gate. 

The ride took us by the ancient road. Via Flaminia, for some 
distance among gardens, until we reached ' the Tiber at the 
bridge, Ponte Moll, which dates 109 b. c. We went over the 
bridge, and passed through an outer gate, where there are gen- 
darmes and soldiers. 

We leave to our right the mountain, Monte Parioli, some dis- 
tance, and turn and ascend along the side of the hill to our left, and 
for half an hour have a most magnificent view of Rome and the 
surroundings. We go a long distance around the city, and de- 
scending, enter by a gate near the Vatican and St. Peter's. 

The surroundings of Rome are not interesting, save for the 
history. There is but little of the city outside of the walls, 
not even man}^ villas and residences. There are not many trees, 
and as the hills are devoted to gardens and grape-vines, the effect 
is barren and bleak. Fine houses and trees, and fine grounds 
are needed, hence the landscape is not attractive. 

We continued our ride through streets, and a portion of the 
city, in which we had not been before, and finally into Old 
Rome, among the antiquities. We have seen the city quite 
thoroughly, and have been among the people in all parts of it. 
All over, no matter where we go, we are surrounded with things 
for adornment, obelisks without number, monuments, statues, 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 79/ 

and beautiful fountains — fountains all over the city, out of which 
pour pure cold water. 

It seems that Egypt must have manufactured obelisks for 
Rome. I am surprised at the number of them that are here. 
The Fontana di Trevi is erected by the side of the Pa- 
lazzo Poll. It is in Old Rome, and is the fountain from which 
people drink, and into which they throw coins to insure their 
return. The water comes through the ancient Aqua Virgo, 
which was constructed by M. Agrippato supply his baths near 
the Pantheon, 19 b. c. 

It is subterranean, and fourteen miles long, and brings the 
the water from the Campagna. The water is said to be very 
pure, and it spouts out in three places among heroic figures, one 
of which is Neptune, and lies in a large pool, clear and cool. 
Around it people are frequently seen standing and tossing in 
coins, which the beggars promptly rake out. 

The fountains in the Piazza di Spagna, the Piazza Novona, 
and Piazza Farnese, are supplied in the same way. 

While riding last Sunday afternoon, after our arrival here, 
we stopped the carriage for a few minutes in tne Piazza Co- 
lonna to look at the column of Marcus Aurelius, and to hear the 
band play, which was entertaining the people there. I looked 
the crowd well over, and now, after having been here a v^'eek, 
and having seen the city and people well, I will write about 
them. 

" As to the crowd in the Piazza Colonna, it would be impossi- 
ble to collect a crowd in the business district of Chicago, Sunday 
afternoon, by the music of a band, and not have five times the 
number of degraded, filthy people in it, that were in that crowd. 
We were very much surprised at the entire absence of dirty, 
ill-kept, disorderly people. . It was a most quiet, well-dressed, 
orderly crowd. 

As to the wretchedness and degradation of Rome, you don't 
see it, or evidences of it, in the streets, and try, if you want to 
do so. There is twice the degradation, dirt, and wretchedness 
apparent in some wards of Chicago, that there is in all of Rome. 
I believe, too, lh;it you are accosted by beggars as frequently in 
Chicago as in Rome, and I believe that emigration has placed in 



398 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

our country the worthless element of Europeans, until they are 
missed here. 

Sunday, the 4th : — I have written, I think, that our hotel is 
located on Pincio Hill, the Collis Hortorum, or Hill of Gardens, 
of the ancients. Here were once the Gardens of Lucullus, in 
which Messalina, the wife of Claudius, afterward celebrated her 
orgies. 

We have been out to walk on the hill among the trees and 
flowers, and heard the band playing. There were many people 
and carriages, the music was good, and the scene interesting. 
The crowd was made up of all classes of people, the poor 
and lowly, and the rich and mighty ; soldiers profuse in gay uni- 
forms, monks without number, and nuns some. 

We walked by the side of the hill, and looked over the city 
toward the lowering sun, walked around by the north wall, and 
looked into, and over, the park of the Villa Borghese. On our 
way home we stepped into the church S. Trinita de' Monte for 
the five o'clock service, and to hear the singing, which is by a 
choir of nuns. The singing was very sweet, and we stayed 
through the service. 

In addition to the many monuments, and the innumerable 
busts in marble of Italians, whose names are in history, which 
adorn Pincio Hill, is an obelisk which Hadrian erected in Egypt 
to the memory of Antinous. It was brought to Rome in 1822. 

In front of the church above-named is an obelisk, which 
once adorned the garden of Sallust." 

Speaking about churches, by the way, I have not had much to 
say about them in these letters, have I ? Well, there is one, here 
that we strolled into the other day, which I have not said any- 
thing about, and now will only tell about the adjoining cemetery, 
the Cemetery of Cappuccini. It is in a building against the side 
ot the church and is, say, twelve feet wide, and sixty or more 
long. It is divided into four rooms, along in front of which you 
pass. The floors of the rooms are of earth brought from Jeru- 
salem, and when one of the monks die, who belong to the Brother- 
hood, he is buried in this earth, from which one that had died 
previously is taken up, and they are placed around the walls of 
the rooms, dressed in their clothes of a monk, and braced up so 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 399 

that they will stand or sit. After a while they are taken to 
pieces, and the bones and skulls are piled around in patterns or 
forms. This business has been going on for generations until 
now, there are cords of bones built into all kinds of shapes ; 
candelabra of bones, chairs of bones, and bones for everything, 
and to make the effect still better, all about stand and sit those 
mummified looking fellows, who grin at you as you pass by. It 
is a cheerful place to go. 

It is now Sunday night, and we leave the Eternal City for 
Naples Tuesday morning. There are hundreds of interesting 
things, ruins, and others, that we have not seen, and cannot see 
but we must pass on. 

It has all been intensely interesting to us, and we hope it may 
be the pleasure of all who wish to enjoy the same experience. 

There are a few things, which we will look up to-morrow, but 
you will not be inflicted with much more about Rome. 

When this reaches you, we will undoubtedly be in Paris. 



LETTER LXIV. 

Rome, Noveinber ^th, 1894. 

A LITTLE more about the Eternal City. In many places in 
America you will see pictures of the Colosseum, and frequently 
there will be a companion picture, which many don't know 
about. 

It represents a round tower, and fortress-like building, stand- 
ing high above a river. When you come to Rome, and take the 
omnibus at the Piazza di Spagna for St. Peter's, you will see, 
as the vehicle progresses, on your right the original of the 
picture. When you have gone farther on, you will be passing 
along the Tiber, and soon will cross it almost in front of the 
ugly frowning building. It is the Castle St. Angelo. A round 
building, eighty yards in diameter, formerly encrusted with 
marble, but now only brick and mortar, rough and unfinished. 
It was erected by Hadrian for his own tomb. 

It is supposed that another cylinder was originally on the 



400 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

remaining one, and that the original height was about one hun- 
dred and sixty-five feet. In 537 the tomb was used as a for- 
tress, and the statuary was hurled down on the besiegers. It 
has gone through many wars and partial destructions and 
reconstructions, and could the grim thing talk, it would be able 
to tell of many aching hearts, among them Beatrice Cenci's, who 
was imprisoned and tortured there. 

From the time of Boniface IX., about 1400, it has been held 
by the Popes. Pius IX. improved the fortifications about the 
castle. It is connected by a passage-way of masonry with the 
Vatican. Workmen are about the castle now, repairing and 
paving the streets. 

There we saw the new excellent walls of cut stone, that have 
recently been constructed along the banks of the Tiber, to hold 
it in place at times of high water, and which will protect the 
banks from destruction, and the city from overflow. They are 
splendid works, and seem to be clear through the city on both 
sides of the river, though that I am not certain of. 

Directly in front of the castle is Ponte S. Angelo, the bridge 
also constructed by Hadrian. Near the Ghetto is a collection 
of columns, and some arches, and parts of walls. They once 
formed a part of the vestibule of the Portico of Octavia, 
erected by Augustus on the remains of a similar structure, 
149 B. c. 

The entire colonnade, with three hundred columns, inclosed 
an oblong space within which stood the Temples of Jupiter, 
Stator, and Juno. The polished granite columns, two and a 
half feet, or more, in diameter, the Corinthian columns, and 
richly carved capitals, tell the story of pagan love for splendor. 

A tram-car ride to the church of S. Giovanni in Laterano 
afforded us an opportunity to stop in at the building near, and 
again look at the Sacred Stairs. 

From there a dusty walk of some distance brought us to the 
church S. Croce in Gerusolemme, which is said to have been 
erected by the Empress Helena, mother of Constantine, in honor 
of her discovery of the cross. 

We had been told, and we thought authoritatively, that the 
very sacred relics, which are most carefully guarded there, 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBEH. 4OI 

could be seen by applying. The attendant, on being informed 
of our desire, disappeared for a couple of minutes, and returned 
from the cloisters accompanied by a monk with gray hair and 
an extremely interesting face and engaging manner. He in- 
formed us that the writer could see the relics, but as they were 
in the monastery, permission would have to be obtained for the 
lady to enter there. 

My partner told me to go on, which I did, while she remained 
in the church. I followed the sweet, reverent-appearing old 
man through several rooms and passage-ways, during which he 
stopped where it was dark, and lighted a candle which he 
carried. Fie unlocked two doors, which we passed through, and 
were in a very small chapel. In one end was a small altar on 
which were the sacred relics, carefully sealed in glass. There 
are four pieces of the cross, about eight inches long, and say 
an inch wide, and less thick. They are arranged in the form 
of a cross, and are protected from the air with glass and metal. 
There is also one of the nails from the cross, which is in glass. 
Of the board which bore the inscription, there is a piece about 
ten inches long and eight wide. 

The pieces of the cross look as though it had been cut into 
blocks, and split up into small pieces. The pieces here referred 
to, were just as they had been split, without being smoothed. 
I conclude it is quite reasonable to think that these- things 
b.elonged to the cross on which the Saviour died, as there is 
reason to think that Helena found and brought it to Rome. 

The other articles, wdiich tradition says were associated with 
the Saviour, are two thorns from the crown of thorns, and 
some pieces of His crib when an infant. There is also a 
finger-bone, which you are told was a finger of the Apostle 
Thomas. 

When we stop to think that, associated with Jesus on earth 

were many, whose faith in Him amounted to most absorbing 

love, they who had seen His life, His miraculous acts, and who 

were controlled by the undying faith that He was the Son of 

God; when we think of them, we must grant that it is certain 

that everything that was associated with the Holy presence 

would be most zealously preserved and guarded. 
26 



402 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

In this connection, if we consider the power of Rome, and 
the extremity to which it pursued any subject in which it was 
interested, we cannot be very radical when we conclude that 
every possible thing, which was in any way associated with our 
Lord on earth, was most surely and carefully preserved, and 
that many of them came to Rome. 

We must grant that St. Helena, who lived in the third cent- 
ury, would not have been satisfied unless all question of the 
authenticity of the cross was entirely removed, and the identity 
established beyond question. 

When you see, in Rome, the sacredness with which every- 
thing pertaining to the Saviour is guarded, and the great care 
that has been taken of them for these many centuries, it will 
not do to doubt them all. We must at least grant the strong 
probability that many of them are genuine. 

To go to the church of S. Pietro Montorio, you require a cab, 
as you will undoubtedly be located in New Rome, and you will 
have to pass entirely through the city, and ascend the Hill 
Janiculum, -one hundred and ninety-seven feet above sea-level. 
It was erected in 1500 by Ferdinand and Isabella, and like St. 
Peter's is said to stand on the spot where the Apostle was 
crucified, head down. In the court of the monastery, which 
you enter from the church, is a small round building called the 
Tempietto. It was erected in 1502, and is a very imposing 
little building. Around it, on the outside, are sixteen Doric 
columns, and it is supposed to stand over the spot where the 
cross of the martyr stood, and in the middle of the floor is an 
opening, communicating with the earth below. 

Through this opening the monks procure samples of the 
earth, which they have ready to present to visitors. The 
kindly old fellow who accompanied us called us to the window, 
and tried to have us see, through our ungodly eyes, the golden 
luster on the sample of earth. It may have been visible to his 
eyes and not to ours. 

The piazza in front of the church commands a magnificent 
view of the city and surroundings. It is Rome beneath your 
feet. 

Ten days in Rome are only enough to excite interest in the 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 403 

inexhaustible supply of such subjects as I have named, and 
many of much more importance than some which we have seen, 
yet we have worked hard and systematically. 

Rome is twenty-seven hundred years old, and has now about 
four hundred thousand people. 

Naples, November 7th, Wednesday. — We left Rome at one- 
twenty yesterday, and arrived here at six-thirty, without waits, 
or loss of time. Immediately after passing through the wall of 
the city we found that we were crossing the Campagna, and 
following the ruins of one of the most ancient aqueducts, with 
the Appian Way and its innumerable specter-like ruins, at some 
distance to the right. 

After leaving the Campagna we entered a rough and uninter- 
esting hilly country, many of the hills being rocky and barren. 
There w^as not much to excite interest, but the history, which 
the ruins keep constantly before us, and the queer old towns 
which frequently cover hill-tops. 

In due time night overtook us, and fought with the dingy 
light for possession of the interior of the car. The battle *Avas 
a drawn one, and the compromise was gloom, and in it we con- 
tinued until we disembarked at Naples. 

Some minutes before arriving we noticed a red spot in the 
clouds, which seemed different from any effect of the moon 
that we had ever seen, after studying which for some time, w^e 
concluded was the red crater of Vesuvius. This was soon 
proven to be true by our arrival in Naples, and on coming to 
the hotel we walked out on the terrace, and looked at the old 
thing. 

The forenoon we spent about the streets of the city, among 
the queer scenes for which Naples is renowned, and about 
which I will write a little later, and after dinner, or lunch, we 
went immediately to the Museo Nationale. The building was 
erected in 1586 for a cavalry barrack, but since 1790 it has been 
used for the museum. It is an institution under the auspices 
of the Government, and is a vast collection of art, antiquities, 
and curious things. The departments, which consumed much 
of the greater portion of two hours which we gave the col- 
lection, were those which contained the things from the 



404 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

partly excavated towns, Herculaneum, Pompeii, Stabiae, and 
Cumae. 

. A visitation came to Pompeii a. d. 63, and the final one 
A. D. 79. In the meantime the Roman Senate had ordered that 
the town be rebuilt, and the work was well along when the final 
blow came ; hence the decorations, of which we have so many, 
very many, samples in the museum. We read that while they 
represent house decoration as done in Rome at that period, 
the art had been degenerating from a much higher artistic 
standard which it had attained, hence what we see here is no 
finer, if as fine, as any Roman provincial town of the time. 

What we first see is the frescoes, represented by the things 
themselves, which have been carefully taken from the walls of 
the houses. This means that the plastering, paintings, and all 
have been carefully taken off and framed, and we pass through 
large corridors and halls and view them. 

These pieces, or samples, are in all sizes from ten inches 
square, to say, five by eight feet, and they represent the decora- 
tions of private and public buildings, and the homes of the rich 
and the poor, and what you see at once, and are astonished at, 
is the universality of the use of the painter's, the artist's brush, 
in house decoration. 

Another thing that you notice immediately, if you happen to 
have been meandering before frescoes for a few weeks, is the 
striking difference in pleasing effects, that is in favor of these 
over those of the fourteenth century. It argues that the artist's 
brush and the taste of the people are much nearer the plan of 
work and taste of the Pompeian period now, than they were in 
the fourteenth century. Birds, animals, human beings, fish, 
flowers, and leaves are a few things that you pass by, all pleas- 
. ing and inviting as we see them to-day. 

Two quails, one eating from a head of wheat, the other from 
millet, just as they do in Illinois now ; a bunch of game, that 
looks so natural that you think of a big country and a big city 
far away where they know how to cook game, and make nice 
things to eat ; but I cannot dwell on them, as there are acres of 
them, and we must move on. 

In the rooms devoted to samples of frescoes, as describecj 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 405 

here, are also very many samples of mosaic, framed, and in 
other shapes. Sometimes they are placed in places corre- 
sponding to their original ones, that is, in the floor. 

In other large, light rooms are vast quantities of things ex- 
cavated in the covered city, household utensils, tools, and some 
drugs and paints that the ashes did not destroy. So many of 
these things are exactly as we have them to-day, particularly 
carpenter's tools, household utensils, lamps, glass articles, and 
a thousand others. A quantity of fish-hooks are perfection in 
duplication of those in use to-day, but the theater tickets are 
very different. They are made of ivory ; those for the best 
seats are round like a coin, carved like a medallion. For the 
upper seats admission was obtained by showing an ivory bird, 
and to be seated among the musicians a guitar or other instru- 
ment was shown, while they who were dead-headed showed a 
finely carved skull. This told us, that the dead-head is a 
time-honored individual, and that the ancients named him. 

In one of the rooms we noticed, particularly, a large quantity 
of richly-carved marble table-legs. They were very large and 
heavy, and show that tables and stands and mirrors were things 
of elegance in those far-away days. Other great rooms and 
corridors contain quantities of statuary from Rome and Pompeii 
and other places, among which are many very celebrated pieces. 
The three renowned ones, found in the Baths of Caracalla at 
Rome,I recommend you to see. The Flora, Hercules, and Bull 
belonging to the Farnese collection. The Farnese Bull is made 
from one piece of marble, and I estimated the size of it to have 
been a cube ten feet square. It is made up of four large fig- 
ures of people, one of a person half-grown, a large-size bull, 
and a dog. The base on which they stand is two and a half 
feet thick, the four sides of which are richly carved in relief. 

Please think of the interminable toil and patience that were 
required to convert the great cube of marble into the magnifi- 
cent group which we now see. All of these great works show 
fierce treatment. They are in many pieces now. Parts of 
them are modern, and are the work of Michael Angelo, who 
made the restorations. In other rooms of this vast collection 
of curios are quantities of most interesting bronzes, very many 



406 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

of which are ornaments dug up in Pompeii ; little things, and 
curios in great profusion, showing how common they were 
among the ancients. 

We noted particularly a porphyry bowl, round in shape, 
twelve feet in diameter, and three feet deep, and it stands on a 
pedestal three feet high. It has immense handles on it, like 
the handles of a pitcher, and the whole was cut from a single 
piece of porphyry. Now, however, it too tells a story of times 
of trouble, for it is in many pieces, being cemented and held 
together with iron. 

There is a room full of pottery, lamps, and jars of endless 
and curious varieties from Pompeii ; one filled with papyrus, 
badly charred, much of which has been read and translated. 
There are almost acres of cases of coins, and certainly acres 
of paintings. 

The Grecian and Egyptian departments we did not see at all. 
We had only two hours for the museum, not enough for one 
department. When the attendants commenced to close the 
shutters, and darken the windows, we understood the hint. 

The Toledo is one of the most important streets of shops in 
Naples, and along it, for considerable distance, we walked after 
leaving the museum. The hour was between four and five in 
the afternoon. The street is lined with good buildings, well- 
painted and well-kept, five and six stories high. 

The shops are fashionable and elegant, and the windows, 
filled with beautiful goods, are fine to view. The street and 
sidewalks are paved Vv'ith flat stones, and are kept perfectly 
clean. The street was thronged with vehicles of all kinds, 
among which were many fine turn-outs, with liveried attendants, 
and fashionably dressed occupants. Soldiers in brilliant uni- 
forms, with their swords dangling at their sides, rode fine horses, 
or paraded the sidewalks, while hundreds of elegantly dressed, 
and as many, or more, poorly-clad people filled all the space. 
It was a sight such as may be seen in any great city, under 
like circumstances of weather and hour, save that there were 
some things purely Neapolitan, among them the herds of goats. 

All along on the sidewalks^ which are not wide, were little 
flocks of from four to fifteen goats, being brought in from their 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 407 

pastures or herding-places to be milked, and to spend the 
night at home in the bosom of their families. 

They felt and acted perfectly at home, and seemed to know 
that they were part of Naples. We followed a fiock of them 
for a long distance, which gradually diminished by one or two 
of them being led into little alleys or courts between buildings, 
where they would disappear in doorways, and would mount the 
stairs to the suite or flat that they called home, there to be 
milked. This was not a thing of that day only, but represents 
goat-life in Naples, in which thousands take part. 

Our walk took us into another part of the city where poor 
people live. The buildings are many of them six and seven 
stories, and are occupied by many families. The streets were 
filled with people, cooking at open fires, and washing clothing, 
while donkeys, carts, goats, and coops of fowls sat about, and 
swarms of dirty children were rolling and frolicking around. 
There were abundant evidences of dirt, and indolence, but not 
any drunkenness. It was as we hear of Naples, but not any 
worse than places in American cities. 

There are ingredients in similar scenes in our country, which 
are very bad, and are not seen here. They arise from intem- 
perance. 

Pompeii, Thursday, November 8th. — We left Naples at half- 
past ten to-day, and came here, arriving before twelve, and are 
now stopping at the Diomede Hotel. 

To-morrow we return to Naples by Sorrento and Capria. 

The next will tell you of a buried city, and of an excursion 
that did not pay. 



LETTER XLV. 

Rome, Saturday^ November 10///, 1894. 
The slow-running train, which you take in Naples to convey 
you to Pompeii, meanders along the shore of the bay, quite 
southerly in direction, much of the time being in towns. Some 
of the time you are quite near the water, while again it will be 
some distance from you to the right. 



408 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

Finally you leave the towns and are in a cultivated plain, 
with only very scattering buildings, and an hour and a half 
after starting the train stops, and the shouting of the guards, 
who say, " Pom-pay-e ! Pom-pay-e ! " tells you that the journey 
is ended. 

On alighting from the car, you find that you are on the plat- 
form of a plain, one-story station-house, about which are no 
buildings, except some insignificant ones that are adjuncts to 
the station. On passing through the station-house you pause 
a minute to survey the scene of one of the great acts of God, 
which is unexplained to man, and which has been a subject of 
study for eighteen hundred years, and in which interest steadily 
increases. 

You see about you an open plain, while immediately before, 
and distant, say three hundred yards, are two small hotels, the 
Diomede and the Suisse. Other than these buildings and the 
station, and a little house or two, used by the guards, and 
representatives of the Government, who have charge of the 
ruins and excavations, Pompeii is about as God's visitation left 
it, save that part of it has been uncovered. 

Immediately behind the hotels rises an embankment, with 
steep green sides, which exactly resembles reservoirs in America, 
which are by many cities, and hold the water supply. This 
embankment varies in height from say forty feet to seventy-five. 
The variations are not abrupt, but are gradual and finished in 
appearance, hence the whole effect is that of an old grass- 
covered work, which was constructed on lines made by engi- 
neers. The length of the embankment which stands before 
you, you find, on consulting the map, to be about a third of a 
mile, and you notice that what seems to be the ends are rigid, 
well-turned mechanical angles, and that it continues on in other 
directions. 

Ycu go on, and leave your light baggage at the Diomede, 
turn to the right for a few yards, and enter a roadway, which is 
opened through the embankment. There you find a ticket- 
office in charge of people who are in uniform, and whose in- 
signia is a regal crown. You lay down two francs for each 
person, pick up your tickets of admission, and proceed, accom- 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 409 

panied by a guide who is extremely polite and intelligent, and 
who speaks French. Your payment for admission entitles you 
to the services of a guide. These rules vary some, for instance, 
Thursday is a free day, and we happened to be there Thursday. 

Sunday is another free day, and several other days in the 
year are also. Free days you pay no admission, but if you 
want a guide, which I certainly recommend you to have, you 
must pay for him. The customary pay for guides for small 
parties is three francs. Seniority of guides is based on their 
term of service, and they are numbered. We had Number One, 
who has been in the business for forty-seven years. 

A very short distance from the opening into the embank- 
ment you enter the excavated gate to the city, Porta Marina, 
meaning gate by the sea, and here in the old time the water of 
the sea lashed, and vessels moored. The rings to which they 
tied, are yet there in the wall. From there to the sea now 
requires a walk of half an hour. 

You pass through the portal of heavy masonr}^, which is 
arranged for a gate and portcullis, exactly like so many that 
we have seen, and you walk on the pavement which the Pom- 
peians used many years before their homes became their tombs. 
Here let me call attention to the pavements, which are the 
same all through the ruins. They are made of granite-like 
stones which have a flat top, and vary in size from ten inches 
square to much larger. 

- These pavements, or wagon ways, are only wide enough to 
admit one wagon at a time. Vehicles could not pass, and 
a system existed, requiring that streets be entered and quitted 
by ends used only to enter and to leave them by. In addition 
to these roadways there are curbstones and sidewalks, the 
whole making a width of street, that varies in different streets 
from ten to thirty feet. 

The pavements show many years, if not centuries, of use. On 
all of them the grooves worn by the wheels are very plain, and 
vary in depth to as deep as eight inches. The streets of Pompeii 
cross each other at angles, hence you can see long distances be- 
tween the lines of ruins. This is very different from Italian 
cities of to-day, for the rule is that you can see but short dis- 



4IO EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

tances. At the crossings of the streets of Pompeii are stepping 
stones, so arranged that flowing water, the wheels, and pedes- 
trians would all be accommodated. 

Immediately inside the Porta Marina you enter a museum, 
containing things which have been excavated, like those which 
are described in the last as being in the museum in Naples, 
and beside them a number of casts which represent people as 
they died. 

To be plain, when the workers in the excavations come to a 
place where aPompeian breathed his or her last, they frequently 
find only a cavity, which is exactly the shape and size of the 
body which originally filled it. Into this they pour liquid plaster 
until it is full. When the plaster is hardened they take it up, 
and have a perfect cast of the long-gone Pompeian. These 
casts are most wonderfully perfect. They delineate the expres- 
sions of misery and horror on the faces, and give the contortions 
of limbs, and bodies with most extraordinary exactness. 

For instance : A negro is easily recognized by the peculiar 
shape of the skull and features, who, while he was trying to 
save himself by fleeing, clutched the money-belt which was 
around his body. There are also casts of horses, fowls, and 
dogs. 

The ruins of the Basilica of Justice occupy space eighty-two 
by two hundred and twenty feet. It was a public meeting-place, 
and adjoining was a Magistrate's Court, and by that a prison. 
Communication with the cells was by a hole in the vaulting. 

The columns of the Basilica are of brick with stone capitals, 
and the decorations were of stucco. 

Opposite the Basilica is the Temple of Apollo, a very early 
structure rebuilt after the earthquake of 63. It was a very im- 
posing edifice a hundred and seventy-seven feet long, and more 
than a hundred feet wide. Its magnificence is told by the re- 
mains of columns and statuary. Some of the statues from the 
Temple of Apollo are in the museum at Naples. The remains 
of the shrine, where the god stood on a high pedestal, are there. 
The chambers of the priests are pointed out, and there are patches 
of frescoes, and stucco decorations. 

I neglected to say that, on entering the ruins, the streets as- 



EUROPH FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 4I I 

cend rapidly, until, when we are at the Forum, we have attained 
an altitude of one hundred and nine feet above the sea. 

The Forum was the central and great place of interest. The 
area of the open space within it is five hundred and fifteen by- 
one hundred and seven feet. The colonnade surrounding it 
was from twenty-six to forty-five feet, and the mass of great 
columns and bases tell the story of the greatness of the structure. 
Six streets diverge here. 

The Temple of Mercury contains a number of excavated 
articles. There are marble feet of tables, glass articles, sun- 
dials, tires of wagon wheels, fountain figures, etc. In the 
center is an altar with marble reliefs, and the figures are those 
of victims for the sacrifice, and utensils used in the sacrifice. 

The principal theater occupied space one hundred and sixty- 
one by one hundred and seventy-two feet. 

The house of Pansa was one of the greatest in Pompeii. It 
was three hundred and nineteen by one hundred and twenty-four 
feet, and at the threshold is a mosaic, with the word " Salve." 
It is a fine ruin of a palatial residence of the time. 

We saw the Temple of Isis, where was the statue which spoke, 
when sufficient gold was offered, but which could not be fooled 
with other metals. We went into and out of the Bourse, and 
saw the places of the money-changers. 

The ruins of a mill contain stones similar in principle to 
those used in this age. A soap factory contains the vats made 
of lead, in which the stuff was boiled ; the heating must have 
been by steam, or hot air, otherwise the vats would have disap- 
peared. The building for the baths w^as very large, and the 
appointments for the bathers' use were very complete. 

In the streets are many stone water-vats, where there were 
public fountains, and which show wear from the hands of the 
people, and the vessels which they filled. 

The Villa of Diomedes, whose daughter is taken for a character 
in " The Last days of Pompeii," is outside of the walls of the 
gate Porta di Ercolano. The street, which bears the same name 
as the gate, leads to Herculaneum. It was a grand house as 
the story truly tells it. The garden in the court was one hun- 
dred and seventy feet square. 



412 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

We descended tv/o flights of steps to an arched cellar, which 
is, say, six or eight feet wide, and runs the length of three sides 
of the house. In it are the remains of wine-jars and other things 
of domestic use. In this cellar were found the remains of eight- 
een people. They died standing by, and sitting by the wall, and 
discolorations yet mark their positions. They were women and 
children. Ashes sifted through openings into the cellar and 
they smothered. 

Near the garden door of the villa was found the remains of a 
man, supposed to be the proprietor. He had a key, and near 
him was found the remains of a slave, with money and valua- 
bles. 

About six hundred people are irregularly employed in excavat- 
ing Pompeii. A railway is run along by where the work is going 
on. The ashes are dug and sifted, shoveled into baskets, and 
carried and emptied into a car. Where we saw the work going 
on, a large building, with fine columns and frescoes, was being 
brought to light. 

To the northwest of the buried city is Vesuvius, distant, to 
the top of it, five or six miles, I should say. The crater from 
which Pompeii was destroyed is not the one which smokes and 
erupts now. 

The wall, which surrounds the city, is twenty-eight hundred 
and forty-three yards long, some more than a mile and a half. 

In the year 63, Pompeii suffered great damage from an earth- 
quake. So great was the damage as to require the rebuilding 
of the city. This work was well along toward completion, when 
on August 2 4i;h, 79, the premonitory symptoms of the coming 
disaster fell on the city, in the form of a shower of ashes, and 
pumice stone, to the depth of three feet. After, and during 
this, the people had time to escape, which the greater portion 
did. Some returned, while others, paralyzed with fear, did not 
try to escape. 

It is estimated that two thousand were buried. Following 
the disaster, the people returned, and recovered much of their 
property, and for three hundred years the place was ransacked 
for valuables. Then Pompeii became forgotten, and so re- 
mained for fifteen hundred years, until, in 1748, a peasant found 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 413 

some statues and bronze utensils, and Charles III. caused ex- 
cavations to be made. 

Since then the work has been carried on irregularly, until 
now the town is half excavated, and it is thought the better 
part. 

Our tramp through the ruins, and visit to past ages, was ex- 
tremely interesting, and I hope that I have made what we saw 
clear to you. 

I cannot help noticing, though, the interest the world takes 
in Pompeii, and that we never hear of Johnstown, where, with- 
out any notice at all, many more people died. I suppose the 
interest in Pompeii is on account of the insight it furnishes us 
of the life of the ancients. The admission fees, and estimates, 
represent from fifteen to twenty thousand visitors annually. 

In our party there were four. Beside my partner and me, 
there were two ladies from Lincoln, Nebraska, whom we invited 
to accompany us, and have the benefit of my partner's translat- 
ing. 

" How much time does it require to go to Vesuvius, and re- 
turn ? " "Four hours. Signer." "How is the trip made?" 
" By carriage, one hour or less ; by horseback, an hour, and 
then walk twenty minutes. The return trip is made in less 
time. The cost is twelve francs each, everything included." 
"Well, we will go," and immediately, exactly three o'clock, we 
were off at a rattling pace in a little one-horse carriage. 

The course was toward the mountain, to the northwest, with 
the buried town of Herculaneum immediately to our right, and 
until we left the carriage, we were much of the time in towns. 

There was but little delay in changing from the carriage to 
the horses. I gave some attention to my partner's saddle and 
girths, and quickly she was well seated on Maccaroni. I rode 
Caracalla, I think they called him, and was surprised at the matter- 
of-course way that I adjusted my stirrup -straps, and sprang into 
the saddle. It all came back, and was done without thought, 
as we used to do it in the old time, when I was one of the men 
on horseback. The guide rode, and a young barefooted fellow 
ran by the side of Maccaroni to look after him, and to lend 
security to my partner. 



414 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

Where the ascent was not too steep, we went fast, at a lively 
gallop. Soon the young fellow by my partner found that she 
did not need him in the position by her side, so he went behind, 
and taking hold of the tail of her Pegasus with his left hand, 
kept the right one quite busy applying the lash. The guide 
kept busy applying the whip, and yelling at the horses. 

For a little time we were in vineyards, and fruit orchards, 
then we came to the lava beds, and were surrounded with bleak 
barrenness. On our left, and behind us, were the Bay of Naples, 
and the Mediterranean Sea. The lava was much of it from the 
eruption of 1884. It is in piles and ridges, from a few feet 
high to twenty-five or more feet, and lies where it was forced 
up through the surface of the mountain. It looks and is in 
shapes, much as would be melted iron, if poured into water; 
rough shapeless masses of the stuff, in mountainous quantities, 
covering the sides of the mountain for miles. 

We soon found that the twelve francs each did not include 
everything, for the guide readily informed us, that he expected 
to give good service, and to be remembered. Soon, too, we 
came to a' halting-place, where centimes were expected for help- 
ing us to dismount, and for holding the horses, who would not 
have stirred voluntarily for the world. 

We came to a gate, to open which there was an old fellow for 
centimes, and with wine to sell. He and the rest of the Sicil- 
lian crew were surprised that we would not buy and drink the 
wine, but seemed to be satisfied when we had paid for a bottle 
for them to drink. 

After leaving here, the road, or bridle-path, became more 
steep, and zigzagged back and forth across the side of the mount- 
ain ; also, though we had not attained very great altitude, 
owing to the heavy low lying clouds, the early night of the 
cloudy day and season was fast coming on. 

Finally we came to the end of the bridle-path, and dismounted. 
There we found a lot of banditti-looking specimens, who were 
determined to have some of our francs for services, either to 
carr)?- us up to the crater in chairs, or to help by giving us a 
rope to hold to, while they would pull at the other end. 

The walking proved to be very hard, and very slow, owing 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 415 

to the fact that the way was so steep, and also to the very bad 
footing. We were tramping in ashes, into which we sank deep, 
and which gave way so under us, that it was very hard and 
slow. 

I insisted on my partner taking one of the chairs, but she 
would not, saying that she did not believe that the road would 
continue so bad. She was right, for soon we left the ashes, and 
were in a path over the hard lava, and we stepped off brisk and 
strong. Then the banditti saw that they were beaten, and they 
dropped behind, and slunk away, perhaps into fissures and 
holes in the mountains, as we saw them no more. 

It was so dark, that we could not see to know, but I am sus- 
picious that the guide took us into the ashy path, thinking that 
the labor would cause us to hire the other villains to carry us. 
The steep walk lasted twenty about minutes, and we stood on 
the edge of the crater. 

Vesuvius is an old humbug, a miserable old fraud ! What 
did we see ? Nothing, that we cared for. A pot of steam and 
smoke, three hundred feet across. It roared and boiled, 
and hissed, and made a fuss, and then would explode, and 
balls of fire would fly up above the steam and smoke, and fall 
back. I have been told by people of their having looked down 
into the crater, and that they saw plainly. I am told now, that 
the trouble with our seeing was owing to the condition of the 
atmosphere. We walked abo.ut and tried different positions, 
but without improvement, and all we got is what I have ex- 
plained. 

It was dark, and was raining a little, about us were the lava 
beds, and beds of ashes, and enveloping us were the clouds. 
In front of us was that howling, roaring, hissing, devil's caul- 
dron. It was a dismal scene, and made us shudder, and think 
of home. 

We followed the white cap of the guide, and retraced our 
steps speedily, and were soon again on the horses. They knew 
the way home well, and we reached the carriage, and Pompeii 
without trouble, but the excursion did not pay, and Vesuvius is 
a fraud. 

The expedition was made in four and a quarter hours, at an 



4l6 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

expense of sixteen francs each, and we were ready for our 
dinner, when we returned. 

Before retiring, we arranged for a carriage for seven in the 
morning, and to be called at six o'clock, intending to drive to 
Sorrento, two hours, and there take a boat at ten o'clock, and 
go to Capri and the Blue Grotto, but it rained hard much of 
the night, and in the morning was raining a deluge. 

We were compelled to abandon the program, and soon after 
nine o'clock, in torrents of rain, boarded a train for Naples. 
At two forty-five we left for Rome, where we arrived after eight. 

It is now Sunday, the nth, and to-morrow at eight-ten we 
start for Paris, intending to stop at Genoa and Nice. The rain 
cut off our visit to Capri, and the Blue Grotto, and prevented 
our seeing the Bay of Naples under favorable circumstances, 
but we will live. 

This afternoon we go for a last ride in Rome. 

With Italy we have been much interested in the antiquities, his- 
tory, and traditions. They are inexhaustilDle, wonderful ! We 
think more of the people, much more, than we did, and believe 
that Italy is entering on a course of modern life and advancement. 

We don't like the cooking, narrow beds, and hard pillows, 
but our recollections of the country will be very pleasant. 



LETTER XLVI. 

Genoa, Monday, November 12th, 1894. 
A LITTLE more about Rome. You will remember my writing 
about finding a cab-driver, who could speak French. Well, he 
proved to be a good one on all accounts. I think he knows 
the name, place, and much of the history of everything of 
interest in Rome, hence is not only a good driver, but an 
excellent guide. We used him a great deal, and as we got such 
good service, we made his work satisfactory to him by occa- 
sionally giving him a franc or two extra. The result of it all was 
that he was always on hand. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEiMBER. 417 

When we went to Naples we instructed a lot of Americans, 
whom we left in Rome, about him. They employed him, and 
being as pleased with him as we, he found plenty of good 
business. In the last, which we mailed yesterday, I told you 
we were going out for a last drive. 

On looking out of the x.indow, we saw our man, and he 
immediately saw us, and instantly was at the entrance of the 
hotel. We told him to take us into Old Rome, and show us 
things which we had not yet seen. Away we went at a very 
lively pace, and for an hour we rode around in the ancient city, 
and looked at columns which are incorporated with modern 
buildings, some of which belonged to temples and edifices more 
than two thousand years ago, and at fountains, obelisks, and 
palaces. 

Many of the stores were open, and in a district of the city 
where the common people live, we went through a large piazza, 
which is devoted to a vegetable and fruit market. The people, 
the vegetables, and the fruit were there regardless of it being 
Sunday, and the market was being conducted as on any other 
day. Again please let me note the order and decorum which 
we saw every place. 

There was not any ruffianism, or drunkenness, such as you 
will see in American cities under like circumstances. All was 
quiet and orderly, yet the streets were full of people, the saloons 
open, and it was Sunday. This is so different from what I 
expected to find in European cities, that I am very greatly 
surprised at it. 

From here our route was by the temples of Neptune, Minerva, 
and Vesta, and by the Forum Romanum, the Colosseum, the 
Arch of Constantine, the Baths of Titus and Caracalla, and the 
Appian Way. We again had a look at Palatine Hill with its 
ruins, and at the ruins of the palace of the Vestal Virgins. 

These and others are so interesting to us, that they were as 
pleasing yesterday as they were the first time we saw them. 
The drive on the Appian Way took us to the Catacomb of St. 
Callistus, where we left the carriage for an hour, and visited the 
catacomb. 

On passing through the wall of the roadside by a door, wc 
27 



41 8 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

ascended a flight of steps, and were in a field devoted to the 
cultivation of trees and flowers. The trees are small, and for 
ornamentation. The elevation is considerable, admitting of a 
good view of the ruins of the Appian way to the left, of the 
city to the right, and of the Campagna, stretching to the front 
at great distance, like a vast prairie. 

A few hundred feet inside the entrance, the avenue, lined 
with flowers, brought us to a small, old, brick building. Here 
we paid a franc each, and each were handed a taper by Father 
Paul, who accompanied us. 

Father Paul belongs to an order of monks called Trappists, 
one of whose vows is not to talk. Three of them; who have 
been absolved from the vow of silence, have charge of this 
catacomb. We were not satisfied with our visit to the Catacomb 
of St. Sebastian, and as this is one of the most interesting of 
the sixty, or more about Rome, we thought to, and did, stop to 
see it. Another American couple and ourselves followed Father 
Paul, who spoke in good English to us. 

Some yards from the old brick house, and to the left of the 
avenue, along which we walked to it, we found some very old- 
looking stone steps, which, having no covering about the 
entrance to them, descended very steep into the earth, at least 
fifteen or more feet. Here was a door which the monk opened,, 
and we stepped inside of it, and lighted our tapers. 

This catacomb, like many, if not all, of the others, is cut in. 
the soft brown stone, which underlies many of the hills about. 
Rome, and which is Called Tufa. For forty-five minutes we 
walked through ihe passages, the sides of which are lined with 
walls of tufa, in which the early Christians were laid to rest. 

In many places these passages are twelve feet high, and the 
bodies were placed from the floor to the top, and in many cases 
five or six in the same opening or shelf. There are many, 
which were fine tombs, and which were plastered and frescoed, 
and yet show the frescoes and the Latin inscriptions. 

In one tomb there were buried thirteen of the early Popes. 
There are chapels in which service used to be held, and yet, on 
certain occasions, mass is said in one, which is kept in order for 
thai pur^jose. -^ 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 419 

In some of the tombs are the portraits of those who were 
buried, done in frescoes, and there are inscriptions, which show 
that many martyrs to pagan hate were laid tiiere. 

It was the Roman law, that the body of an executed person 
should be given to the first person who asked for it. There 
were none who wanted the bodies of Christians, save their 
friends, hence they generally got them and buried them. 

Besides this, in many cases, the blood of martyrs was saved, 
and placed in the catacombs in glass vessels, some of which are 
there yet intact. 

This catacomb, like others, was made with several stories, 
with flights of steps leading between. This one has five 
stories. There are yet some bones, and some graves that have 
never been opened, but not many. We left the catacomb, feel- 
ing much more satisfied than with our visit to the other one, 
and feeling that we had not too hurriedly passed the world- 
renowned Catacombs of Rome. 

On returning to the carriage, we continued the ride on out 
the Appian Way, and tried to think of it as it looked two thou- 
sand years ago, when the edifices, of which there are generally 
now only ruins, were in perfect order, covered with fine statuary, 
carved marble, and frescoes. 

On returning to the city we went by the piazza, in which 
stands the column erected by Marcus Aurelius, where a band 
was playing, and where there was a large collection of people. 
'^We paused a few minutes and noticed the people, and the pro- 
cession of fine carriages that was passing, and then went on to 
Pincio Hill, where there was another crowd, and as the sun was 
sinking down behind the hill beyond St. Peter's we took our 
last look at Rome from Pincio Hill. 

We started for Paris and Chicago this morning at eight-ten. 
For an hour after leaving the station our route was made up by 
leaving the city through an opening in the wall near the gate of 
St. Paul, near to the Pyramid of Cestius, and leaving the great 
church of St. Paul near us, to our left, and thence across the 
Campagna to the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, and then we 
followed it all day, and will for two days more. Much of the 
time we were very near the sea, then again it would be lost to 



420 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

view. There was not much to break the tedibusness of the 
long ride, for, as I have written several times, Italian landscape 
is uninteresting. The old gray towns, perched high on the hills, 
fail to keep up their interest with us, and the verdureless and 
tree-lacking landscape does not supply the want. 

Rural Italy seems very lifeless. The scatL^ring, plastered, 
yellow farm-houses, the ox-teams plowing, and the herds of 
sheep and lambs, don't supply the appearance of life that we 
want to see. 

When the train was slowly passing through Pisa, we had a 
good view of the leaning tower and of the cathedral. My part- 
ner has visited them, and we did not stop this time. Gradu- 
ally, as the day lengthened, we came into hilly, almost mountain- 
ous, country ; the hills rising directly up from the shore of the 
sea, and as the railway is by the shore, it must have been built 
at enormous expense, for it is made by cutting away the rock. 

For three hours we rode through almost continuous tunnel, 
which, by the way, is not very pleasant railway riding. We 
arrived here at six-thirty, tired out with the long ride and ex- 
tremely uncomfortable car. 

Tuesday, November 13th, at Nice, France : — We did not 
see much of Genoa, for the rain, which commenced yesterday 
afternoon, and through which we had to go to the hotel on 
arriving, increased in vigor during the night, and was with us 
while in Genoa to-day. We walked about some in the streets, 
rendered very uncomfortable by the rain, but did not see any-^ 
thing of interest, except the very fine monument to Columbus, 
which is made of white marble, and stands in a piazza near the 
railway station, and from which several streets diverge. It is 
a great work, and tells the story of the great Genoese in fine 
relief carvinofs and statues. 

The birthplace of Columbus is about -fifteen miles in the 
country, at least out of the city. Genoa is the most important 
city, commercially, in Italy, though Naples has more people. 
There are, including those in the suburbs, about one hundred 
and eighty thousand, while Naples has well on to six -hundred 
thousand. 

We left Genoa to-day at twelve-thirty, and continued our 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 42 1 

course along by the water of the sea, and in the water, which 
industriously fell all the afternoon. Again we were in tunnels 
much of the way, and again left the train at six-thirty, tired and 
willing to rest. 

At a little town called Ventimiglia we crossed the border line 
of Italy, left the Italian railway, and entered a train on the 
French railway. There, too, we passed through the French 
Customs Office. 

While I think of it, and before retiring, which it is now time 
to do, let me congratulate you all on the overwhelming Repub- 
lican victory which you have. The Paris edition of the New 
York Herald has given us the results quite full. It means 
much to our country, for no matter what reforms may be needed, 
and no matter what party may be responsible for the evils under 
which the country may be weighted, no reform will come, save 
by the hands of the Republican party. It means a Republican 
President, a recovery of confidence, peace, and prosperity. It 
has thrown the English into spasms. They think it means high 
protection, and that their hoped-for American market will not 
be realized. They are blind to the fact that American manu- 
facturers are making goods now as cheap as they are. 

Poor old England — her American market is gone forever. It 
was a grand election ; the wonderful majorities — New York 
City Republican ! West Virginia too ! Hill laid away in the 
political catacombs ; Wilson laid away to dream of his bill, with 
its six hundred amendments ! Glory ! Glory ! 

Wednesday night still at Nice : — The rain, which had kept 
us for two days, ceased during the night, and was replaced this 
morning by bright warm sunshine. 

The sunshine of Southern France, of the Riviera, which we 
hear is always so charming. On coming out of the breakfast- 
room, the manager of the hotel handed me the New York He?'- 
aid, published yesterday in Paris. It told of the cold weather 
in New York, and brought before me, what the middle of No- 
vember frequently does for Chicago in the way of cold weather. 
The contrast seemed so striking. 

For instance, last night a mosquito or two was humming 
about us, here in our room, and we have mosquito nets over 



422 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

our beds. On going into the streets this morning we found the 
sun uncomfortably hot, without our wraps, and as we walked 
along in front of the city, on the seashore, the air felt balmy, as 
we know it in midsummer. The attractions of Southern France 
for a place to spend the winter are plain. I imagine that every 
requisite is here. Perfect climate, good accommodations at 
moderate cost, and nearness to Paris, enough to cause one to 
feel that he is within the world. 

I would recommend any person who contemplated coming to 
Europe to sojourn for the winter, to come to Nice, and locate 
here, or in some of the very many places in the vicinity. 

By train, twenty or thirty minutes further south on the sea- 
shore, is the great gambling-place, Monte Carlo, and immedi- 
ately by it, Monaco. The two towns are situated on land and 
rocks, a hundred or more feet above the sea, around a little cove 
or bay. They are, I understand, chiefly owned by the Prince of 
Monaco, and are popular places of resort for the winter. 

We walked about the two towns for three hours, among the 
great cacti, palms, and roses, and heliotrope, and wondered if 
anything could be more beautiful. Great preparation is in prog- 
ress for the annual fete, which takes place to-morrow, in honor 
of the birthday of the Prince. Fireworks are being arranged 
in great quantities, and preparations for grand illumination. In 
Monaco is a castle, which is now a fortress and military station. 
It was once a robber's stronghold. 

In front of the castle we noticed a large gathering of the 
poor people of the town, and on inquiring of a soldier what it 
meant, we were told that it was the annual distribution of money 
by the Prince of Monaco. 

My partner wanted more particulars, so she went into the 
crowd and interviewed a woman with a baby. > She learned 
that the amount which is given to each needy person varies 
from one and a half francs to more, according to the greatness 
of their need. The two towns are made up of beautiful prom- 
enades, lined with rich tropical plants and flowers, high over- 
the sea, innumerable fine hotels, some villas, and the Casino. 

Having done the promenades and flowers, and views, very 
thoroughly, we found ourselves at the palatial entrance of the 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 4^3 

palatial Casino. Outside the vestibule stood two liveried 
servants, who, with the most perfect politeness and courtesy, 
showed us where to present our application for admission. 
The business of entering the princely gambling-house, I call 
" monkey work." 

On entering the magnificent vestibule, we were conducted into 
a large office to the left. There were several people at desks, 
and before one of the desks, at which two men sat, we were 
conducted, and were asked for our cards. Unhappily my card 
is printed simply with my name, and not my residence, hence I 
took my pencil, and wrote Chicago under the name. I suppose 
this did not seem regular, for they asked to see my passport. 
1 handed it to them, and they seemed satisfied, for they handed 
us tickets, after recording our names among the gamblers, 
which allowed us to enter the sacred precincts of the gambling 
hall, and which would admit us to the concert in the evening, 
both entirely free from cost. 

From this room, or office, we crossed to the opposite side of 
the vestibule, and left our unbrellas, and wraps in the cloak- 
room. Please keep in mind, that everything about this establish- 
ment is on a very large scale, and most magnificent and costly. 
All about us were grand columns, carvings, and paintings. 

From the vestibule we entered a large rotunda, from which 
grand stairways lead to the lounging and other apartments above, 
and to the concert hall, and from which we passed through 
easy swinging doors, between more liveried servants, into the 
hall among the gamblers. 

We found ourselves among a crowd of extremely well dressed 
people, nearly all of whom were engaged in the play. There 
were full as many women as men, and I think possibly more, 
and they seemed to be as free players. 

There were five tables engaged with roulette, and one ^vith 
what they called thirty-and-forty. At each table sat four men, 
who conducted the games, and who took in and paid out the 
money. Beside these, there were seats for eighteen players, 
and behind them stood as many as could get near enough to 
place their gold and silver on the numbers, and watch the 
result. By counting, and estimating, I concluded that fully two 



424 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

hundred people were engaged in the play. This is very small 
attendance, as the season has not opened yet. 

In the center of each half of the roulette tables are con- 
secutive numbers in plain, yellow figures on the green cloth, 
from one to thirty-six. Beside these, there are some printed 
words, and some squares and angles marked on the cloth. In 
the middle of the table is a wheel about two feet in diameter, 
the flat side of which is up, and this turns easily, and will run 
some seconds after being easily started. Around the edge of 
the wheel are little boxes, which are numbered from one to thirty- 
six, and around the outside of the wheel is a smooth track, say 
three inches wide, which inclines toward the wheel, and which 
has a flange on the outside. So much for the machinery, now 
for the play. 

The players sit and stand around the table, and chance two 
kinds of pieces of money, five-franc silver pieces, and twenty- 
franc gold pieces. They pitch them on the table, and with 
long handled pushers, place them on the numbers of their 
choice. Some time several players will put their money on the 
same number, and some will place it midway between two 
numbers, for instance, between nine and twelve, and this will 
give them the benefit of nine, ten, eleven and twelve. Others 
will select some of the squares and angles, and the odd, or out- 
side, numbers. 

When the money is all placed, which will amount to hundreds 
of dollars, the wheel is given a start, and a marble is sent around 
the track described above! Soon the marble gets tired and rolls 
off the track into one of the little boxes in the wheel, and the 
number of the box which the marble happens to fall into 
decides who the winners and losers are. 

The money is quickly raked in by the men conducting the 
play, and to the winners they toss five times the quantity 
chanced. 

Then quickly the money is again placed, and the same is re- 
peated. This goes on with astonishing rapidity. Thousands 
and thousands of dollars are about, and gold coins are hazarded 
as though they were gun-wads. 

The game of thirty-and-forty is conducted difi^erently. The 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 425 

table is the same size and shape, and four men conduct the 
game, as in roulette. The table has no numbers, but is ar- 
ranged with squares, diamonds, and angles. The players place 
their money in these, and one of the men deals cards, which he 
turns up, and certain cards determine the results of the chances. 

I'his is the great attraction of Monte Carlo, and which, in 
the year 1888, attracted four hundred and fifty thousand people. 

We met some people from Kansas City, whom we had met 
a month ago, who advised us to stay for the concert in the 
evening, telling us that the music was very excellent, but we 
felt that we would be more comfortable away from the 
place and its associations, so we came home in time for 
dinner. 

To-morrow at eight-thirty a. m. we continue our journey 
toward Paris, stopping to-morrow night at Marseilles. 

Marseilles, Thursday, November 15th. — About eight hours 
of tedious waiting for the very slowly running train to do its 
work, landed us in this city this afternoon at four o'clock. I 
don't know the distance we ran, but it is in the neighborhood 
of one hundred and fifty miles. 

Just to allow you to know how the interests of the people are 
cared for by the railroads in Continental countries, I will tell 
you a few things as follows : The Governments compel that a 
rate be made, which is equal to the rate in several of the states 
in our country, for instance, New York, Pennsylvania, and 
Massachusetts, and others, where it is two cents per mile, but 
there is not any system under which the accommodations are 
regulated, or the speed named, hence in Italy, France, and 
Germany, the cars are so uncomfortable, on every account, that 
none but the common people will ride at the low rate, viz., 
third-class, unless their circumstances be such that they are 
compelled. 

The rate for second-class travel is uncontrolled, as is the 
case with first-class, hence they are very much more costly than 
third-class. The great middle classes of people and tourists 
travel second-class on the Continent, and that is the way we 
have been doing. In all the countries where we have been, 
except France, the trains, express, and all, are all made up of 



426 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBEI^. 

first, second, and third-class cars ; but in some cases in France, 
the route we are now on for instance, in order to have the 
benefit of express time, we must travel first-class, then we will 
be in trains made up exclusively of first-class cars. 

When we bought our tickets in Rome for Paris, we were 
very properly advised to have second-class to Marseilles, and 
thence, first, to Paris. This placed us in a very slow train from 
Nice here, but we had a very comfortable car. 

From here to Paris to-morrow, thirteen and a half hours, we 
go by express first-class. A restaurant, as they call the dining- 
car, goes with us. As we have thus far traveled on the Con- 
tinent, we have had no accommodations for meals, hence, like 
all others, have carried our lunches. The principle which seems 
to dominate railroad managment, on many accounts, in Europe 
is correctly defined by meanness. 

It don't seem to have ever entered the thick skulls of the 
managers that, possibly, they could do as well for their proprie- 
tors, if they would make traveling a pleasant thing to do. They 
don't appear to have ever thought, that possibly travel could be 
made so agreeable that people would ride for pleasure. 

Well, we have lived through it from Rome here, and I suppose 
will, until we reach Paris, when the agony will be over. 

This is a bustling, lively city, and it seemed like home this 
afternoon to be among modern, business buildings, in streets 
filled with trucks loaded with bales, and sacks, and cases, and 
on sidewalks filled with hurrying people. There are no beggars. 
All the people seem to have something to do, and are doing it. 

Marseilles is nearly as old as Rome, having been founded 600 
B. c, and was in friendly alliance with the Romans, 360 b. c. 
It had at last census three hundred and seventy-six thousand 
inhabitants. 

Our ride to-day was more interesting, on account of the coun- 
try through which we passed, than since we have left Rome. 
We had but few tunnels, and the hills are much farther back 
from the sea, hence we rode through a beautiful plain much of 
the time, which is ornamented with neat, interesting towns, trop- 
ical trees and flowers in abundance. 

We have been among roses since we landed in Southampton, 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 427 

June ist, last. From here we leave the Mediterranean, and run 
almost directly north, through France to the capital. 

It rained in torrents much of the time to-day. The country 
is flooded, and in some places the road-bed of the railway is 
under water. 



LETTER XLVII. 

Paris, Sunday^ November \Zth^ 1894. 

As the last told you it was our intention to do, we left Mar- 
seilles Friday morning at nine o'clock. Our train was the Paris, 
Lyons, and Mediterranean Express, which runs between Paris 
and Marseilles. It was made up of three coaches and a dining- 
car. Some English gentlemen, whom we met at dinner, told us 
it is as fine a train as is run on the Continent, and it certainly 
was a great improvement on any train that we have patron- 
ized, but I know a country in which it would not be first-class 
by any means. 

It was not very clean, or well cared for, and a number of con- 
veniences, which are provided and scrupulously cared for on 
fine trains in our country, were entirely missing. There was no 
drinking water, or arrangements for it ; the toilet-rooms were 
without soap, and contained only soiled towels ; the cars were 
not very clean, and were dingy and sepulcher-like. The two 
dining-cars, in which we ate during the journey, were so plain 
and cheerless that the appetite of people generally, I should 
think, would be diminished ; however, it did not trouble my 
partner and me. The linen was clean, and the meals very satis- 
factory, and the price for dinner was the same as we pay in 
America, viz., five francs. I estimated that the speed was about 
forty miles an hour. 

The train ran steadily, making but few stops, and they were 
very short. While it was fairly smooth, it was not nearly so 
smooth as our fine trains. I estimate the distance from Mar- 
seilles to Paris to be about five hundred and fifty miles, 

You cannot, without special effort, learn anything about dls- 



428 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

tances, or anything else about railroading. The men about the 
trains and stations cannot tell you anything at all outside their 
own little sphere. The ticket-sellers, of whom we get our in- 
formation in our country, cannot answer a question about con- 
nections, or distances, without stopping some minutes to look 
it up in a closely printed book. 

Think of it ! In the city of Glasgow, in a great station, I 
asked a man at the gate, through which people passed to the 
train, when an important train would depart. Do you suppose 
he could tell me ? No, indeed ! The people waited, while he 
hunted through a guide for the page, found the time-table, and 
answered me. Show me the man in America, who fills a cor- 
responding position, that cannot unhesitatingly name the time 
of departure, or arrival, of any train arriving or departing from 
his station. 

If you want to know about time, distances, etc., and want a 
time-card, you can have it by paying for it. When you get it, 
you will find that it is made up in a French-German-Swiss-Ital- 
ian-stupid-hoodooing kind of way, that you don't understand, 
hence, are no better off with it than before. Perhaps you have 
noticed, ere this, that I am not specially in love with European 
railroading. 

Well, as you know, all things come to those who will but wait, 
and it was proven by the end coming to the tedious ride from 
Marseilles. Exactly on advertised time, we entered the immense 
station in Paris (ten-thirty-four), and soon found ourselves 
housed at the Continental. 

After leaving Marseilles, we ran until ten-forty-five without 
stopping, and then were at the old town of Avignon, which was 
the home of the Popes for a longtime, in the fourteenth century. 

Lyons is another important city on the route. We saw the 
country under unfavorable circumstances, for, as usual, where 
we go, it was pouring rain much of the day, and the entire 
country was so heavily enveloped in fog and steam, that we 
could see but little distance from the train.* 

The country shows high cultivation, and dense population. 
Fruit, particularly grapes and olives, seem to much occupy 
the attention of the tillers of the soil. We passed through 



'' EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 429 

thousands of acres of olive orchards, which, by the way, have no 
special beauty about them. 

The color of the foliage is a smoky green, and as the leaves 
are small, and not at all dense, the olive tree, in my estimation, 
does not rank high, as a thing of beauty ; hence to sit and look 
through a car window on them for hours, does not prove a joy 
forever. 

The fog seemed to intensify as we neared Paris, which, when 
we had arrived, and were seated in the cab en route to the hotel, 
was so dense as to be very disagreeable, making the streets look 
like dimly-lighted tunnels, and the lamps like uncertain will-o'- 
the-wisps. 

And so it continues to-day, Monday the 19th, and so it was 
yesterday and Saturday. Bright, sunny Paris we have not yet 
seen, or in fact any other Paris, except dismal Paris. 

Saturday morning found us with several errands to do, the 
first of which was to go to our banker for letters, among which 
we found two from home, one dated October 31st, and one 
November 4th. There were also other letters, and some papers, 
all of which were very welcome. 

At the office of Pitt and Scott, shippers and storage people, 
we found one of our trunks, which had been forwarded from 
London, at our request. We soon had it in our room at the 
hotel, and find the winter clothing, which it contained, to be 
very comfortable in the chill, damp air which pervades. 

Saturday my partner immediately started in to do some shop- 
ping, which, my dear relatives and friends, is necessary. As it 
is a tug of war, even in Paris, and as we have but two weeks, 
we thought proper to get that business well under way immedi- 
ately, and let the sightseeing wait. You know we are going to 
New York in the Gity of Paris, w-hich is a first-class establish- 
ment, hence if we had been found on that ship without this 
shopping being done, it is possible that we would have been 
chucked into the steerage. 

Well, I went along on the shopping business awhile Saturday ; 
and among other places, we visited the Bon Marche of course. 
I sauntered through the store, while my partner was about her 
business. The establishment does not come up to my expecta- 



430 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

tions in appearance. I understand that it disposes of many 
more goods in value than similar establishments in our country, 
but it is not up to several that I know of, in the display of 
quantities of merchandise, or in evidences of business. 

The people employed seem to be of a high order of store 
help, and there seems to be many of them, but as compared with 
Marshall, Field and Company in vast quantities of fine goods 
displayed in fine taste, and cared for in fine order, the Bon 
Marche does not rank at all. 

I would place it with the Fair, and R. H. Macey& Co. and 
would give them the start in the race. They, perhaps, are not 
as complete in all departments as the Bon Marche ; I am talk- 
ing about it as it looks. 

I finally got enough of the shopping business, and meandered 
along by the Palace of the Louvre, and the Jardin des Tuileries 
to our hotel, and later my partner came. 

As early night had come, occasioned by the dense fog, she 
found she must have an escort, and immediately we started on 
a shoe expedition. An hour of walking and omnibus riding 
brought us" to an establishment, where an order was finally 
entered, and then we went into a Duval and had supper ; then 
by an other hour's walking, and by omnibus, we arrived at the 
home of Miss Chapman, where we were most cordially received, 
and spent a pleasant evening; then by cab home, and the 
busy Saturday was ended. 

Yesterday, Sunday, Miss Chapman called, and we lunched 
together, and for a time strolled about the streets aimlessly, fi- 
nally entering a church where mass was. being celebrated, and 
heard it and the organ, which. was being played by a famous 
organist. Then we honored the top. of an omnibus.. I have, 
been studying the carrying methods- in the cities, and really be '. 
lieve that as unsatisfactory as our system in Chicago is, jt is fully 
up- to any of the systems in great cities. 

Here there are omnibuses, horse . cars, and electric cars : 
The system of fares admits of transfer from one line to another, 
and, owing to the patience of the people, everything about the 
business seems to go very smoothly and very satisfactorily ; but 
it would not do in Chicago for one week... ^ 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 431 

For instance, on arriving at the corner where we were to take 
the omnibus, we stepped into an office and were handed tickets 
of admission to the omnibus. Our tickets were numbered sixty- 
five and up, while they who held tickets from thirty-five to sixty- 
five, stood waiting. They, of course, must all be accommodated 
before us. The omnibuses came quite frequently, but as they 
were well filled, and as but few people got out, the crowd wait- 
ing about us diminished very slowly. As each, bus came up, 
and such of the occupants, as wished to do so had alighted, 
the number of seats on top, and inside, would be announced, 
and only enough taken on to fill them, and to allow a certain 
number to stand on the platform at the rear end. Of course 
there was some time between 'busses, and to allow the people to 
alight and others to get in, took a little time, hence before the 
sixth one had come, into which we climbed, we had stood in the 
fog and damp (almost rain) for some time, say fifteen or twenty 
minutes. Yet, I noticed that the people seemed satisfied and 
happy with the condition of things in the w^orld, and with the 
carrying systems particularly. 

At last though we had climbed the steep, narrow steps, and 
were seated on top and jogging along, and then we noticed what 
we had observed before — how slowly we moved. It seems to 
me that the omnibuses and cars go very slowly, and all this tells 
of a patient people. We can learn patience of the Parisians, as 
I have said we could of the other Europeans. 

On leaving the omnibus, we left our cards at the lodgings of a 
young friend of Kenwood with a note telling her we would 
spend the evening at Miss Chapman's, very near in the neigh- 
borhood. 

At Miss Chapman's we had a good home supper, and a merry 
time. Miss C, my partner, and two lady artist friends of Miss 
C.'s got the supper, while I was the guest. Later our young 
friend came, and we (four of us) went to the American Club. 
The American Club is for the benefit of American students, and 
is run for small charges, and on considerable contributions 
from well-to-do Americans, among whom is Mrs. Whitelaw Reid. 
There are lodging rooms, reading room, congregating room,, 
caf^, etc. We found present eighty or a hundred young ladies 



432 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

and gentlemen, who were standing and sitting about, chatting, 
and sipping lemonade, and eating cake. Some good music 
came from a piano and violoncello, and it appeared a happy 
and innocent scene. 

Our stay was but for a few minutes. I neglected to say that 
in connection with the club is a chapel and minister, and relig- 
ious service. We saw our delightful chaperone home, and taking 
the Correspondence (omnibus), reached the Continental in due 
time. 

It is now Monday, five p. m. , and I have not seen my part- 
ner since breakfast. She started immediately after breakfast to 
carry out the instructions of her dressmaker, and I suppose has 
had a busy day. I lounged in the reading room for a time read- 
ing a paper or two, and then walked to the office of the New 
York HeraldyYCi the Avenue de I'Opera, to see the American 
papers. I arrived just as the Inter-Ocean of November 8th was 
laid on the table, and for an hour it held me. 

It gave the detailed results of the great election, which shows 
it to be even greater in many details than we had appreciated. 
Among the -things which were pleasant to hear of, and to read 
about, the paper told also of the outrageous action of the police 
and thugs at the polls in Chicago. Those things are so injuri- 
ous to our country. They are published, and read, and talked 
about in Europe, and are not understood. The conclusion is, 
that America is a country almost without law and order. 

This afternoon I went for a walk through the Jardin des Tuiler- 
ies. This garden was the royal garden belonging to the Tuileries 
before their destruction by the Commune in 187 1. The area of 
the place is seven hundred and eighty yards long, and three 
hundred and forty-seven yards wide. 

It is now simply an open space in the heart of the city, with 
some trees, and a couple or more small inclosures, in which 
flowers are cultivated. The garden was laid out during the 
reign of Louis XIV. since when it has been the playground of 
different princes. The children who play there, and the thou- 
sands of people who walk across the place, prevent the grass 
from growing. 

Immediately to the west of the Jardin des Tuileries^ and like it, 



EUROPE KKOM MAY TO DECEMBER. 433 

on the side of the Seine, is the very historical place, the Place 
de la Concorde, of which we have all heard so many times. It 
is three hundred and ninety yards long, and two hundred and 
thirty-five yards wide. From the center of the square a fine 
view is had of avenues and boulevards, while in the distance is 
the Champs Elyse'es, and the Arc de Triomphe. 

Perhaps no one place in the world has been the scene of 
more extraordinary events tlian the Place de la Concorde. In 
1770 a panic in a crowd, occasioned by the accidental discharge 
of some rockets, caused the death here of twelve hundred 
people, and two thousand more were injured. 

On the nth of August, 1792, the statue of the King, which 
stood here, was taken down by order of the Legislative As- 
sembly, and was converted into two-sou pieces. A terra-cotta 
figure of the Goddess of Liberty was placed on the pedestal and 
named la Liberti de Boue, while the place was named Place de 
la Revolution. 

On the 2ist of January, 1793, the guillotine began operations 
here with the execution of Louis XVI. On Ji;ly 17th Char- 
lotte Corday was beheaded, while on October 2-d Brissot and 
twenty one of his adherents followed. On the 16th followed the 
unhappy Marie Antoinette, and so the bloody history goes on, 
until it is many times too long to repeat here. 

Between January 21st, 1793, and May 3d, 1795, over twenty- 
eight hundred people perished here by the guillotine. A pro- 
posal was made to erect a fountain where the scaffold of Louis 
XVL had stood, which was opposed by Chateaubriand, who 
said, " All the water in the world could not remove the blood- 
stains which sullied the place." 

In 1814 Prussian troops were camped here, and in 1815, 
English. In 1817 again came the Prussians, and the same 
year a desperate struggle between the P*rench troops and the 
Commune. In '1830 the name, Place de la Concorde, was 
again revived. In the middle of the square now stands a 
beautiful red granite obelisk, which is seventy-six feet high be- 
sides the pedestal, and weighs two hundred and forty tons. It 
was presented to Louis Philipp' bv the Viceroy of Egypt, and 
v»^as orisfinallv erected hv Rameses II. who reiiined in the four- 

28 



434 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

teenth century b. c. , in the village of Luxor, a suburb of 
Thebes. It was brought here in 1833, and placed in position 
in 1836. There are two beautiful fountains, and several fine 
monuments, and pieces of statuary. In fact the Place de la 
Concorde is a great place on many accounts. 

I think, if the fog should go away, we would see the beauty 
for which Paris, as a city, is famous. Even though the fog is so 
dense that we can see but a square or two, we can see the- 
clean streets and the striking uniformity of the buildings. The 
buildings are quite uniform in height, and style of architecture ; 
miles and miles of buildings of the same general appearance. 
I think this feature conveys the impression of a city very great 
in extent. It seems that we will find much of interest in Paris 
as a city. We don't intend to work special things very closely 
— are a little tired of it. 

My partner returned all right, and reports good progress in 
her business. We went out after dinner for a long walk in the 
busy streets. There is much more activity in the streets at 
night, than in London, or New York, which goes to prove the 
old saying, that Parisians never sleep. 

The magnificence of the shops, and display of beautiful goods 
is very interesting. I can well see the fascination that there 
must be for those who have money and like to spend it. 

I don't think there is any use of my trying any longer, for I 
am certain I cannot make anything out of this but a stupid 
letter. However, I can console myself with one certainty, and 
that is, you dear people are becoming used to stupid letters. 



X.ETTER XLVIIL 

Paris, Wednesday, Nov. 2isf, 1894. 

To-day the fog is gone, but the clouds lie low and heavy, 
causing us to fear a down-pour immediately. 

Yesterday was dismal. The cold and damp united, and 
their efforts tended toward the shortening of life, and furnished 
no special reason for its prolongation. Really, I don't see 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 435 

much preference that a damp, foggy day in November in Paris 
has over one of the same kind in Chicago. 

After mailing No. 47 my partner and I parted to meet at a 
lunch-place at one o'clock. 1 put in the time loitering about 
the streets, while she followed the business she had in hand. 
Both were at the appointed place on time, and after luncheon 
we rode on the top of omnibuses. 

The Boulevards of Paris are divided into four classes, the 
Old or Inner Boulevards, the External Boulevards, the New 
Boulevards, and the Enceinte, or Lines Boulevards. The Old, 
or Inner, Boulevards derived their name from having been con- 
structed in the reign of Louis XIV., on the site of the ancient 
bulwarks or fortifications. 

They pass through the heart of the city, in circulating direc- 
tions, and the name frequently changes. These Old, or Inner, 
Boulevards are known as the Great Boulevards, or as the Boule- 
vards. We selected part of this great street for our omnibus 
ride, from the Madeleine to the Bastille, two and three-quarter 
miles. As I said, the name frequently changes, hence, while we 
were on the same boulevard for the distance named, it is under 
eleven subdivisions. There are frequently slight inclines, 
and declines in the level, and at distances of a few squares, 
there are easy curves. I think these all add to the interest 
that is experienced in riding through the street. 

The pavement is perfectly smooth, and the cleanliness per- 
fection. While the buildings are different in style of front and 
ornamentation, there is sufficient uniformity in height and 
general appearance, to lack the eye-splitting and ear-racking 
effect, or more definitely, the freaks, which make us so tired in 
many cities. 

The width of the street is one hundred feet. There are no 
rails ; the vehicles being confined to omnibuses, carriages, and 
trucks. The traffic in the street is considerable, but I think 
not as much as in Broadway, or State Street, and certainly not 
nearly as much as in the Strand in London. The shops are 
very showy and interesting, and I must write unhesitatingly, 
that the Great Boulevard in Paris is the most interesting city 
thoroughfare that I have ever seen. 



43^ EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

As the journey from the Madeleine to the Place de la 
Bastille is perhaps as noted as the journey through any street 
in the world, it may not be a waste of time for us to give it 
particular attention. We will start at the bridge over the Seine, 
Pont de la Concorde, at the Place de la Concorde, and walk 
north through the Place de la Concorde, by the obelisk, all of 
which are described in the last, thence into, and along Rue 
Royal still to the north for two short squares, and we are in 
the Place de la Madeleine, in the middle of which stands the 
church of St. Mary Magdalene. 

At the time of the revolution the church was uncompleted, 
and- Napoleon ordered its completion for a Temple of Glory. 
It was not, however, completed until 1842. 

The Place de la Madeleine is one of those very many inter- 
esting places, which should, if they do not, make Paris famous. 
A large open square, or space, from which many streets ra- 
diate, and where omnibuses can be obtained for different parts of 
the city ; where thousands of people can alight and depart, and 
have room to collect their thoughts and to breathe. 

You see these great open spaces very frequently, and they 
tell of a purpose carried into effect to have great convenience 
and beauty, regardless of the incalculable value of the land. 

We talk about the beauty of our city, but it does not exist, 
as the people of the world understand it : not as Paris — not 
even as London. The drives and the parks and the homes 
are beautiful, and would be so voted, but the rows of incon- 
gr-uou-s buildings of all heights, hues, and, dimensions don't 
make a beautiful city. Add the congestion of vehicles and the 
crowds of struggling people at the crossings, and, instead of a 
scene of beauty, you have one of misery. 

We only appreciate these things by comparison, and we don't 
have comparison without seeing other cities. When fellows 
like Oscar Wilde and Kipling come to see us, and write in the 
strain that I am now, we vote them to be prejudiced, or 
jealous upstarts, and let their scribblings go in one ear, and 
out the other, but wdien we happen to find ourselves in Europe, 
in the provincial towns of Paris and London, we commence to 
see a great light. My dear relatives and friends, the "gang" 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 437 

are right. As the world understands the term, there is not in 
our country a great, and beautiful, and complete city. There ! 
Now bury me, if you please. 

Well, at the Madeleine you are the distance of, say four 
squares from the Seine, and entering, or climbing to the top of 
an omnibus, proceed in a northeasterly direction along the 
beautiful street that I have described. The route follows what 
was once the line of fortifications, and until you are at the 
Place de la Republic, you are diagonally making distance 
from the Seine, until, when you are there, you are a long dis- 
tance, possibly a mile, from the river. 

From the Place de la Republique you go directly toward the 
river, so that when you have arrived at the Place de la Bastille, 
where you must change omnibases, you are but say four squares 
from the stream. 

The Place de la Republique is another of those beautiful 
airy places of which I have been writing. From it a number 
of grand avenues sweep away, and are lost in the distance, 
while in the center is the magnificent statue of The Republic. 
The statue is bronze, thirty-two feet high, and stands on 
a pedestal fifty feet high. About the statue, forming part of 
the whole, are other magnificent statues, and bas-reliefs, and 
figures, which tell the story of the struggle of the Republic. 

It is a wonderfully magnificent work, of which there are many, 
very many, in Paris. Again I was disloyal enough to compare 
"with my home city, and to think of the lack of monuments, and 
the insignificance of what there are. I thought of those in 
Lincoln Park of Lo ! the Indian, with his squaw, pappoose and 
dog ; of the little La Salle on the little stone ; of the little 
stones which stand for the Swede who loved flowers ; and 
those for the German poets. I remembered the figure of the 
policeman in the Haymarket Square, and the pile of granite 
which bears the equestrian figure of the Silent Soldier, whose 
great battles are his speeches, and which is so plain as to seem 
almost niggardly; plain enough to give one chills. I thought 
of all the rest, and then I thought of the monuments of London, 
Paris, Rome, and all over Europe, and my head dropped. I 
think my partner thought I was sick^well, I was a little. 



438 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

Oh, yes, I know we are young, and new, and poor, and that 
those things will come in time, but suppose in the meantime 
we keep still. 

Miss Chapman heard the above read, and said, " Now, you 
put right in there that the statue of Lincoln in Lincoln Park is 
finer than anything in Paris." I like the statue of Lincoln much. 
It is a fine likeness of the Great Commoner, as he looked in the 
days of his great work. The monument, or balance of the work 
other than the statue, I don't like, and the fact remains that we 
are beggarly poor in monuments. 

The Place de la Bastille is another, the name of which is well 
known to us all. Here the omnibus stops, and we descend 
from it. In the pavement we notice the line of stones, which 
mark the line of the walls of the Bastille. 

When the Boulevards were leveled in 1670, there was left 
standing on this site a castle which was erected in the four- 
teenth century. It became a prison for the confinement of per- 
sons of rank chiefly, who had become victims of intrigue against 
the Sovereigns, and victims of the caprice of the Sovereigns. 

Its world-wide celebrity dates from its being the scene and 
object of the first struggle in the French Revolution, viz., 
"The Storming of the Bastille, July 14th, 1789," The eight 
great towers, and the walls ten feet thick remained grim repre- 
sentatives of the hated monarchy, hence when the shout went 
up, "Down with the Bastille," its doom was sealed. 

The garrison consisted of one hundred and thirty-eight men, 
many of whom were invalids. Their resistance was as formida- 
ble as could be expected, but it proved to be like chaff in the 
whirlwind. Soon the old home of misery was filled to overflow- 
ing with the frenzied mob. Many of the soldiers were saved, 
but the heads of the officers were flung over the battlements. 

In the middle of the great square, or circle, stands the tower 
Colonne de Juillet. It is bronze, thirteen feet in diameter, and 
the total height is one hundred and fifty-four feet. The base 
is of white marble, and was constructed by Napoleon, on which 
it was his intention to place a bronze elephant eight feet high. 
The Colonne de Juillet is a majestic monument. The six bronze 
medallions on each side, and the bas-reliefs, which are a part of 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 439 

it, tell the story of the Place de hi Bastille, and show the names 
of six hundred and fifteen who fell there during the several 
revolutions, emblazoned in gilt letters. 

A stairway leads to the top of the tower, up which people as- 
cend and step out on a balcony, affording them a fine view. 
Some vaults inside contain sarcophagi, and the remains of the 
fallen. 

Now as we stand and view it, the Place de la Bastille affords 
a most interesting and peaceful scene, made up of the magnifi- 
cent monument, the great square surrounded with fine buildings, 
and from which extend away, and are lost in the great city, nine 
or more streets. 

Extending away to the west from the Place de la Bastille is 
the Rue St. Antoine, which in a few squares becomes the Rue 
de Rivoli. Making use of the correspondence, we found seats 
on a connecting omnibus, and followed the course. Leisurely 
we jogged along, leaving the Hotel de Ville (City Hall), the 
Palace of the Louvre, and the Garden of the Tuileries to our 
left, along the farther side of which flows the lazy Seine, until 
we came to the Place de la Concorde, into which we turned, 
and out into the Champs Elysees. In the distance ahead of us 
was the Arc de Triomphe, and in the far distance, to the left, 
towered high above all things the Eiffel Tower. 

Extending west from the Place de la Concorde with the 
Seine, but a short distance to the left is the Avenue Champs 
Elysees. Included with the avenue, and under the same name, 
is a small park seven hundred and fifty yards long, and four 
hundred yards wide. The Arc de Triomphe is the western 
end, hence the Champs Elysees is a wide avenue and little park, 
which fill up the distance from the Place de la Concorde to 
the Arc de Triomphe, the length being one and a third miles. 

The trees are elms and limes, and date from the end of the 
seventeenth century. The Arc de Triomphe, or to be exact. 
Arc de Triomphe d I'Etoile, stands on high ground, towards 
which the streets and avenues ascend from all directions. The 
site is a great circle called Round Point, from which twelve 
avenues and streets diverge and around which are fine hotels 
and apartment houses. 



440 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

The work was commenced by Napoleon in 1806, and com- 
pleted by Louis Philippe in 1836. It is the largest Triumphal 
Arch in the world, much larger than any in Rome. The di- 
mensions are one hundred and sixty feet high, one hundred and 
forty-six feet wide, and seventy-two feet deep. It is rich in 
groups and carvings, which tell the story of Napoleon's glory. 
Thirty shields bear the names of as many victories, while one 
hundred and forty-two other battles are recorded. 

The names of six hundred and fifty-six generals, who fell in 
battle, tell some of the story. A platform is ascended to by a 
spiral stairway, having two hundred and sixty-one steps. 

The jogging vehicle carried us on by the great arch into the 
Avenue de la Grande Armee, and on, until its course was com- 
pleted, when we alighted, and finding seats on another, retraced 
the journey. 

As we descended the hill, or decided elevation from the Arch 
de Triomphe, and had stretching before us the Champs Elysees, 
the Place de la Concorde, and the Garden of the Tuileries, with 
the obelisk, and monuments, and statuary about, over all of 
which are many trees, and plats of grass and flowers, I could see 
that when the green and colors of summer would be added, the 
combination would be beautiful : a grand scene of city and park. 

The damp and cold of the day perhaps prevented a fair ex- 
hibition of carriages and establishments of the drive, but they 
were not sujDerior in number or elegance to what may be seen 
on our Grand Boulevard. Finally we were at our hotel, and in 
our room, and the business of the day was ended. 

Thursday, the 2 2d : — Yesterday my partner went about her 
business, and I to do an errand at the banker's, intending to 
soon thereafter return home. As usual I abstractedly turned a 
corner or two, and was promptly lost. 

I think I know where I am going, and depend on my judg- 
ment of the direction and course to bring me out all right, but 
carelessly make a turn or two, which I don't count, and lo ! 1 
am lost. 

If the sun would only shine occasionally, so that I could keep 
the points of the compass, I would not have any trouble, but 
now I get lost in Paris very easily. When my partner is with 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 441 

me, we don't have any trouble, for she can talk to the people 
and they to her. They don't understand me, hence I conclude 
the trouble is with them, for I talk as I always have. Well. I 
always work out all right, but am compelled to walk out of my 
route, and to use time that ought to be saved. 

After loitering about the streets, until I was tired, I came 
home and wrote at this letter. Later my partner returned, and 
late in the afternoon our two young lady friends, whose homes 
are in Chicago, came by appointment and dined with us. After 
dinner we all went out into the gay streets, finally arriving at 
the Great Boulevard, where we took seats on the top of an 
omnibus. It is a very gay street in the daytime, but much 
more so at night. Having ridden until we were satisfied, we 
alighted and took seats in the Theatre Renaissance and saw 
Sarah Bernhardt in Sardou's play, Gismonda. It was the first 
time I had seen the great favorite of the Parisians, and I was most 
favorably impressed with her acting. 

The part Gismonda, which the madam takes, is a character 
possessing all the qualities, strength, temper, passion, and senti- 
ment. Several of the situations are extraordinary. I was in- 
tensely interested and pleased with the representation of the 
extraordinary character and extraordinary situations, and hence- 
forth will think of Bernhardt as a great actress. 

Miss Chapman told us that there was not a woman in Paris 
who receives more consideration in the saloons of the Artists, 
than does Bernhardt. This brings to mind some stories of this 
strange woman. On our steamer, when we came to Europe, 
was the actress, Jane Hadding, some members of her family, 
and her manager. The manager was a man of much experi- 
ence in his business, and who for a long time had been with 
Bernhardt on her tours, among them to America and Australia. 
In the smoking-room of the steamer he talked freely of his ex- 
perience with her. Among other things, he said he had paid 
her bill at Tiffany's in New York, amounting to over five thou- 
sand dollars for Christmas presents, which she had made to 
members of her company. Also, that the money that she uses 
annually in educating poor relatives, and in supporting others, 
amounts to very many thousands of dollars. 



442 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

Said he, " We were coming from Australia, the Pacific was 
calm, and the voyage long and tedious. The madam wanted 
some fun, so she hired some sailors to do her bidding, which 
was to throw others overboard, and then to drop a rope to 
them, when they would be pulled up, and receive a sovereign 
by the madam's order. Finally her eye fell on her property-, 
man, a little fellow, with very short legs. She told the men to 
pitch him into the sea, but he ran below to his state-room. 
The sailors followed, but on trying to enter the state-room, the 
little fellow with the short legs had a pistol, which he fired at 
them. Happily there were none hit, but that ended the sport." 

The theater, we were told, is Bernhardt's own, either by 
lease or ownership, and that it is a fairly representative Paris 
theater, save, perhaps, that it is below the average in size. It 
will not compare at all with Chicago theaters in beauty, and it 
seemed to me to be very poorly protected against fire. 

We passed through narrow passage-ways, and stairs to our 
box, and felt easier when we were out on the wide boulevard. 
There was a large audience, all the seats being filled, and 
many people stood. The play is very long, hence it was well 
after eleven o'clock when we were out. We sent our friends 
home in a carriage, and my partner and I leisurely walked 
home, and saw the gay crowded streets by midnight. 

To-day my tramp took me through the Garden of the Tuile- 
ries, into and through the Place de la Concorde, to the grand 
esplanade-like sidewalk, or promenade, which is by the Seine, 
having in view, and as an objective thing, the Eiffel Tower. 

Time brought me to the Pont d'lena, which crosses the 
river immediately in front of the Palais du Trocadero, im- 
mediately at the other end of which stands the Eiffel Tower, 
whose great arches span well across the Champ de Mars, in 
which it stands. I walked under, and around, and looked well 
at the famous specimen of mechanism, and concluded to be 
disappointed with it. I decide that it is not as impressive as I 
thought it would be. While I don't know anything about such 
things, I conclude, by looking at it, that the Eiffel Tower is the 
embodiment of principles which were more in use than those 
in the Ferris Wheel, hence that it is not as extraordinary a 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 443 

work as is the Ferris Wlieel, and that it is not as impressive a 
thing to contemplate. 

I continued on entirely around the Champ de Mars, the 
greater portion of the site of the Exposition of 1889, and looked 
at the buildings which yet remain, while in my mind was the 
beautiful White City. The Exposition of 1889, the site and 
buildings tell us is not to be compared with the White City. 
They are two different things. The one, an Exposition, the 
preparation of the buildings and site for which were neces- 
sarily confined within practical requirements. The other, an 
Exposition housed in a magnificent city, built for it, under no 
restrictions, which became a feature more famous than any 
other possessed by either, and at which the one of 1889 made 
no attempt at all. 

The White City was one thing ; the Columbian Exposition 
was one thing, and the Exposition of 1889 one thing; when 
compared, only the exhibits and attendance must be consid- 
ered. 

Night found me still tramping, but en route home. When I 
recrossed the Place de la Concorde, the many lights with 
which it is illuminated, and for which it is world-famous, were 
lighted, the magnificent fountains were playing, hundreds of 
carriages were rolling in different directions. I know of no 
city but Paris that can boast of as brilliant street-scenes. 

At home I found the Tribune of the 7th and 8th, which had 

been laid on the table, kindly mailed by my friend Mr. M , 

and for a time I pored over the account of the great election, 
and waited for my partner. 

As I was about leaving to go and hunt for her, she came, an 
hour and a half late, and two or three hours after dark. 

She had been delayed with her business, and was as worried 
as I. 



444 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 



LETTER XLIX. 

Paris, Sunday, November 25//^, 1894. 

A VERY unsatisfactory condition of things. After mailing 
the last, Friday about eleven, when I was ready to commence 
on the explorations of the day, a letter came telling us that the 
City of Paris would be laid off, and in her stead the Chester 
would leave Southampton, December 8th. The interesting 
epistle asked whether we would be transferred to the Chester, 
or would we prefer to go in the Mew York the ist, or the Berlin 
the 15th. 

When we came over we were booked for the Berlin, but she 
was laid off, and the Chester substituted. We were not en- 
tirely satisfied with the Chester, on account of her smells, and 
as December ist was too soon for us, and the 15th too late, we 
decided to find some other line. 

Now we have negotiations pending with the Red Star Line 
for the steamer Friesland from Antwerp the 8th, and with the 
North German Lloyd for the steamer Elbe, which we can get 
at Southampton the 5th. It is more than likely we will decide 
on the Friesland, which is very highly spoken of. She will bring 
us in New York the 17th, three days longer than the Paris, 
and we understand that she does not furnish, with the passage, 
as many smells as the Chester. 

The smells of the Chester are of such extraordinary quality 
that we miss much by not having them. To go on the Fries- 
land will require us to leave London the 7th. It is a miser 
able mix, but what cannot be cured must be endured. 

On the left bank, as you descend the Seine, in the Latin 
Quarter of the city, and distant from the Place de la Concorde 
about twenty minutes by omnibus, on the highest land in that 
part of the city, and over the site of the tomb of Saint Genevieve, 
stands the Pantheon. 

Saint Genevieve is the patron saint of Paris, and the Pantheon 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 445 

is a thing we have heard of all our lives. It was built for a 
church, the corner stone being laid by Louis XV., in 1764, and 
the completion being in 1790. It has been a church and not 
a church several times since construction, finally being secu- 
larized in 1885 for the obsequies of Victor Hugo. It is now a 
monument and place of burial fov those whom the Republic 
wants to honor. 

It is a massive stone building, in the form of a Greek cross, 
three hundred and seventy feet long, and two hundred and 
seventy-six feet wide. The dome is two hundred and seventy- 
two feet high. As you enter the cheerless, uninteresting mass, 
you pass through the immense colonnade, which is made up of 
twenty-two wonderful fluted columns eighty-one feet high. In 
this it is like the Pantheon in Rome. 

Celebrated paintings decorate the interior, among them the 
Childhood of Saint Genevieve, and another, the Martyrdom of 
Saint Denis. It represents the headsman, two or three be- 
headed figures, and the Saint, who, having been decapitated, 
stands on his feet, and is stooping in the act of lifting his head 
from where it has rolled on the ground, to the place from which 
it was severed. It is a ghastly, but a great painting, and is the 
work of Bonn at. 

There are other paintings representing Saint Genevieve in 
different roles, the Baptism of King Clovis, and still others. 
Several tell the story of Joan of Arc, Mirabeau, Marat, Charlotte 
Corday, and other victims of the Revolution, who were originally 
buried here, but have since been removed. Among those buried 
here now are Victor Hugo and Voltaire. Such is the Pantheon, 
great, grim, and cheerless, and a most fitting sepulcher in 
every sense. 

Located in what is at present the heart of Paris, on the bank 
of the Seine, tradition says there was once a hunting chateau, 
which was in the midst of a forest infested with wolves, and 
which was called Lupara or Louverie. 

On the same site, close to the wall of the city of that time, 
Philip Augustus, who died in 1223, erected a castle with a 
strong keep. The position of this keep is now indicated by a 
white line on the ground. This castle became the Royal res- 



44^ EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

idence of Charles V., who died 1380, and who had greatly im- 
proved it. This old chateau was entirely removed, and there 
in 1541 the foundation of the present Palace of the Louvre was 
laid by Francis I. 

Following the history of the great building down to date, we 
find it associated with the names of many who are in history, 
and who were residents there, and who were connected with its 
construction. Francis L, Henri II., Catherine de Medicis, 
Henri HI., Henri IV., Louis XIII., Louis XIV., and on down to, 
and including the Napoleons. It is, we find, associated with 
many stirring events in history, among them the marriage, on 
August 19th, 1572, of Princess Margaret of Valois with the King 
of Navarre, afterward Henri IV. of France. Many of the 
Huguenot chiefs were present on the occasion. 

Five days later, on August 24th, 1572, was issued from here 
the edict for the massacre of the Huguenots. Immediately the 
guards issued from the court of the palace, and went to the 
residence of Admiral de Colign}^, who was the first victim of 
the terrible night of St. Bartholomew. It is a great palace ; 
great in hi'storical association, great in size, great in beauty, and 
the greatest building in Paris. 

One wing stretches along the Seine for a distance of at least 
three or four squares, while one opposite stretches along the 
Rue Rivoli for the same distance, while the two are connected 
at their east ends by a portion, which lies by, and forms the 
side of the Rue du Louvre. The great Court, which is thus 
formed by the shape of the palace, has the area I should say 
of at least three ordinary city squares, and was once part of it, 
the site of the Palace of the Tuileries, and the Court of the 
Tuileries. 

Since the destruction of the Tuileries, this square or court 
has been open on the west side, where the Gardens of the 
Tuileries commence. It is ornamented with a^fine monument 
to Gambetta, and by the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, 
erected by Napoleon I., to commemorate his victories of 1805 and 
1806. It is an imitation of the Arc of Severus at Rome, but is 
not nearly as large as the Arc de Triomphe, also erected by 
Napoleon, described in the last. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 447 

The Louvre and Tuileries together occupied space amount- 
ing to forty-eight acres. The fire of the Communists in 187 1, 
which destroyed the Tuileries, did some damage to the Louvre, 
and had it not been for the very timely arrival of the Versailles 
troops, who stopped the fire, all would have gone. As it was 
the Imperial Library of ninety thousand volumes, and much 
priceless manuscript, were destroyed. 

The collection of the galleries of the Louvre date from the 
sixteenth century, and in point of immensit3% nothing that we 
have seen are comparable at all. What can a letter by a poor 
writer, who is limited for time, space, and patience do, in de- 
scribing a museum which is made up of the following depart- 
ments, each one of which is a museum itself .'' Here are some 
of them : 

Egyptian Museum, Asiatic Museum, Collection of Ancient 
Sculptures, Collection of Renaissance Sculptures, Collection of 
Modern Sculptures, Museum of Marine, Museum Ethnographic, 
and I don't know how many others. Each of these occupy 
great halls, and many saloons, and yet we have not said any- 
thing at all about the miles of paintings — what of them ? you ask. 
Well, there are simply miles of them. Quantities of the work 
of every known painter, and some work of painters unknown. 

What can I do with the Louvre ? Nothing ! Simply nothing ! 
Think of it ! This, Sunday afternoon, my partner, Miss 
Chapman, and I went from luncheon, at half-past one o'clock, 
to the Louvre and stayed until four, and here am I trying 
to tell you about it. 

It would be nice to be able to spend enough time in different 
lehefsto become satisfied with inspecting the Louvre collections, 
but that is not for us, hence we must pass on. I will try to 
walk through some more of the saloons. 

By omnibus, distant from the Louvre about twenty minutes, 
and a couple of squares from the Pantheon, is the Palace and 
Garden of the Luxembourg. The palace was built and the 
garden planned, by Marie de Medicis in imitation of the Pitti 
Palace in Florence, which had been her ancestral home. Not 
much, in my opinion, is the palace like the Pitti Palace, but the 
gardens are quite alike in plan, and some in ornamentation. 



448 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

The palace was a royal residence until 1791, when it was 
vacated by the Count of Provence, afterwards Louis XVIII. 
It is now the home of the Senate, and the President of the 
Senate lives in one of the wings. It is also the home of the 
gallery, and the museum of the Luxembourg, another great 
collection of Art. 

There are many acres belonging to the garden, which is best 
described as a park of considerable size. There are many 
trees, but not much grass, as the people who roam at will over 
the place, prevent it from growing, save in patches, where it is 
protected: 

As we pass out of our hotel, th-e Continental, into Rue 
Castiglione, we see, distant to our left about a square and a 
half, the Column Vendome. It was erected by Napoleon in 
1806-1810 to commemorate his victories over the Russians and 
Austrians in 1805. The Column is an exact copy of Trajan's 
in Rome. The height is one hundred and forty-two feet, and 
the diameter thirteen feet. The material is stone, encrusted 
with plates of bronze, which form a spiral band three hundred 
yards long. On the bronze are bas-relief figures, three feet 
high, of soldiers and horses, which tell the story that the great 
Emperor was proud of. 

The metal that was used was obtained by melting twelve 
hundred Russian and Austrian cannon. The column stands in 
the middle of a square called The Place Vendome, which is en- 
tirely surrounded with buildings, save that one street, Rue 
Castiglione, passes through it. 

When the Communists congregated to overthrow the column, 
in 187 1, the proprietor of the Hotel Castiglione, immediately 
near, told them, if they would spare it, he would give them five 
hundred thousand francs, but they heeded not, and overthrew 
the column. It was again erected in 1875. . 

We went to church to-day. Yes, we went to church. We 
went to two churches, but we went to the opera first. This is 
the way of it : 

Of course it would not do to come to Paris and not go to the 
opera, so we went yesterday to the Opera House, and inquired 
what operas would be given this week. We were answered, 



\ 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 449 

" We don't know yet. Come here to-morrow at ten o'clock, 
and we will know." 

Promptly at ten o'clock, and the first ones on hand, we were 
there, and engaged a box for Friday night. The opera to be 
presented is Samson and Delilah, the artists will be announced, 
as is the custom, later, Wednesday, I believe. We have a box 
in front, six seats in a box ; price, forty-two francs, and one 
franc to the man who thought he helped us to get it. Well, 
perhaps he did. One dollar and forty per seat, much less than 
at home. I don't care anything about opera any way. There 
is nothing in it but clothes and gaslight, and to say you have 
been there, but, as I said, it would not do to come to Paris and 
not have gone to the opera. How it will turn out, we will have 
to tell you, for, my dear relatives and friends, the remaining 
number of the letters, you may be thankful, is limited. 

No, I don't think we are flying high in Paris, but your ques- 
tion brings to mind a story. While we were in Florence and 
in Rome, we were of a considerable party of Americans who 
were at the same hotels. They were all very nice, as all Ameri- 
cans are, but of course some were nicer than others, and we, 
more than likely, were among the others. 

Well, one lady was much interested in hotels, and made us 
to understand that she had always been in the habit of staying 
at the very best before the deviation in the present instances, 
when we were at very good, but less costly hotels. On one or 
two occasions, when we were going away, our friend asked if 
we intended to stop at thai Grand Hotel, or some other one of 
the same class which she -would name. On being answered that 
we would stay at some hotel which was much more modest, 
her countenance would drop, and I think we fell several de- 
grees in her estimation. 

When we left the party to come to Paris, we did not know 
•where we would stay while here. On arriving in the city, which 
was late at night, we went first to another place, but not being 
satisfied with what they offered us, came to the Continental. 
The next morning, as is the custom, we went to the Herald O^co. 
and registered as being located at the Continental. The follow- 
ing morning, of course, we appeared among the arrivals in Paris, 



450 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

and at the Continental. All Americans in Europe read the 
Herald. I should say, all on the Continent, and, of course, so 
did those we left in Rome. We have not a^doubt that the 
friend referred to found our names among those at the swell 
hotel, and now we know we are all right. 

I commenced a long time ago to tell about going to two 
churches. The day was perfect, and the clouds and fog, which 
have enveloped everything, were gone, and there was not wind. 
The yellow sunlight flooded everything, which proved unim- 
peachably that it does come to Paris. 

We walked from the Opera House via the Boulevard and the 
Champs Elysees, nearly to the Arc de Triomphe, and thence 
turned to the right, and in a street near the Arc de Triomphe, 
found and entered the Russian church. It is a stone building, 
mosque-like in style, and very graceful and prepossessing in 
appearance. It is richly ornamented and carpeted inside, but 
there are no seats for the congregation generally. The service 
was being conducted by three priests, who walked about and 
bowed, and crossed themselves, and who wore most magnificent 
robes, which were elaborately embroidered with gold. They 
chanted the mass, and were accompanied by a choir of voices, 
located where we could not tell, but who sang very sweetly. 

One of the priests paraded about and swung the incense- 
burner, until the church was full of smoke, and then we went 
away, smoked out. They had a special service there this morn- 
ing, to help the young Czar on his matrimonial expedition, 
which commences to-day, off in St. Petersburg or Moscow, I 
don't know which, but I suppose, of course, St. Petersburg. 

From the Russian we went to the American church, iii the 
neighborhood, and heard a good sermon, and good singing in a 
language which we understood, and which was intended that 
we should understand. How sweet and home-like it seemed, 
and how lovely the dear old hymn, " Nearer, My God, to Thee." 
I don't think that it did me much good, at least, I am afraid it 
did not, for soon after I lost my temper about a trifle, and com- 
menced at my partner, but, as usual, immediately found that 
there I made a mistake. 

Monday, the 26th ; — My partner went off about her business, 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 45 1 

briskly, at nine o'clock this morning, but I remained and 
lounged in an easy-chair in the reading room, and read the 
papers. Later I went out for a tramp. On entering the street, 
I found that the sunshine of yesterday was no more. In its 
place we have clouds, and the air is heavy and quite cold. 
Under the same appearances in Chicago we would predict snow. 

My tramp took me along Rue Castiglione, through the 
Place de Vendome, to and across the Place I'Opera, beyond 
into the Rue Provence to my banker. I have to go there quite 
often lately, but that is one of the importr.nt numbers of the 
Parisian program. It all pa}^, for I know of no place where 
you can get as good value for all of your money as in Paris. 
What you buy, what you eat, and give away, is not costly, and 
you get the best value for your money of any place I know, if 
you are judicious. 

I stopped at the Herald office, and reading-room, and read 
the Inter Ocean of the 15th, and concluded that affairs are 
improving some at home. From the Herald office, along the 
Avenue de I'Opera and into one of the streets which leads 
diagonally into the Rue Rivoli, which I crossed and entered the 
Garden of the Tuileries ; then came to my mind a picture that 
I saw while in the Louvre, yesterday, which does not belong to 
the collection, but which, in my estimation, is far superior to 
any of the famous works in the great gallery. 

From one of the rooms you get the view from a window look- 
ing to the west. Under you is the great square or court in- 
closed by the palace, and directly in the line of vision stand 
the following : Immediately near is the monument to Gambetta, 
while beyond a few yards is the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, 
then in line, is the Garden of the Tuileries, with its trees and 
flowers and inclosure of color ; then the Place de la Concorde 
with its magnificent lamps, fountains, statuary, and the obelisk 
of Luxor. Beyond stretches the Avenue Champs Elysees, and 
the park and trees which line it ; the whole magnificent com- 
bination ending in the west with the great Arc de Triomphe de 
I'Etoile, which towers majestic and grand on the high ele- 
vation which it surmounts. 

There is nothing lacking in the great reality. Xature is there 



452 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

ill trees, flowers, and sunlight. Love k there in the beautiful 
tribute to Gambetta^ a«d pride in the self-perpetuated glory of 
Napoleon. The ancients are well represented in the beautiful 
obelisk, and the history of the Republic by the story wbich the 
Plac€ de la Concorde would tell of it, could it but speak. 

The present great century is shown by the Pala<:e de I'ln- 
dustrie, a remnant of the Exposition of 1889, which stands by 
the Champs Elys^es. So we can go o« ; this great work of 
man, perfected with touches of Nature, is beyond the artist's 
brush. 

I sauntered leisurely on through the garden, passed the obe- 
lisk, and stood on the Pont de la Concorde, and looked 
at it and other bridges above and below and thought. I saw 
them wide as the street, made of arches of cut stone, with stone 
sides and balustrades, and lighted with handsome lamps. They 
looked as though they would be perpetual in substantiality, 
graceful and pleasing. They are things that attract the eye, 
not things that it passes unheeded. I thought of other bridges 
having the same qualities all over Europe, and then passed in 
view the nightmares which sp>an tbe Chicago River. Pass on ! 
Pass on ! 

At the end of Pont de la Concorde stands the Chamber des 
Deputes, or as we say the Chamber of Deputies. It is a plain, 
stone, substantial building, with a row of fine columns in front. 
Leaving the bridge I turned to the right, and when a couple of 
squares away, found that I was by a wide open space, which 
stretched back from the river to a distance of two or more 
squares, and which ended in front of a very large building 
which reached from one side of the space to the other. Lead- 
ing from the river to the enclosed lawn in front of the building 
is a fine avenue, on each side of which are many trees. 

I tnrned up the avenue, and on approaching the building saw 
before it a line of cannon, which covered the avenue and wide 
space described. In front of the building is a high, strong, iron 
fencCj which incloses a large lawn, and outside the fence is a dry 
moat. On looking this matter up I found that the wide space 
is called the Esplanade des Invalides, and the building one that 
we have hear^ many times of, the Hdtel des Invalides. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 453 

It is a home for invalid soldiers, of whom about four hundred 
are housed there. The building and grounds occupy about 
thirty acres, towering high above all of which is the immense 
gilded dome, which is to be seen at great distance from many 
parts of the city. This establishment was founded by Louis 
XIV., in 1670. 

Beside the house for the invalids, the vast building furnishes 
space for a great military museum, and is stored all over with 
historical and curious things. 

Beneath the dom^ is the elaborate, immense, and costly tomb 
of Napoleon I., which I conclude, from glancing at the descrip- 
tion, must be a thing well worth the trouble to go and see, and 
which I will try to do to-morrow with my partner. As I was 
alone to-day, I only walked around the inclosure and looked at 
the buildings. 

After having luncheon I returned to our room to write, hav- 
ing left an order for a fire. After a couple of attempts, the 
fire was made to burn, and the effect is very agreeable. It is 
an open wood fire. Think of burning wood in Paris ! 

How poorly any letters, and particularly these, tell of this 
Imperial City, and the unnumbered historical and interesting 
things in it ! There are so many things peculiar to Paris ; for 
instance, the elaborate system of sewerage, which cuts so great 
a figure in aid of the cleanliness. I remember that it is most 
minutely described in Victor Hugo's story, " Les Miserables." 

Go where you will, in any direction, the same cleanliness and 
order prevails, and the same general uniformity in buildings 
exists. It is Paris all over, and Paris only. 

I believe that the Parisians are the best clad, and the best 
fed, and best housed people, as a whole, in the world. Beggars 
are scarcely seen at all, and the ill-clad, filthy tramps, which 
infest our country, it seems to me must be unknown here. 

How interesting is Paris, and its people, and order, to us. 
Constantly you are in crowds in the omnibuses, and cars, and 
cafes, and on the streets. Every person has something to do, 
and you see by their manner that they are about it, yet, with 
all the intentness of employment, that you see the people are 
^engrossed with, and with all the crowds of people and vehicles 



454 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

that are constantly about, the extent of order that exists is 
simply perfection. How strange it all seems when we think of 
the inflammable nature of the people ! How easily they will go 
on the war-path, and commence to overturn monuments, and to 
tear down palaces ! 

They will march in thousands and sing the Marseillaise, and 
build barricades ; rushing along will come some cavalry men, 
aud a battery of artillery ; a few shots will be sent into the 
barricade, and the air will be filled with arms, and heads, and 
legs, and the crowd will disperse. The next day everything 
will be serene, and all will be happy. 

I like Paris, and would be content, I think, to live here, but 
would want to be buried in the one country of all. Paris is the 
Imperial City, but I will not weary you with more of it. We will 
yet see some more of the interesting things, but I will hardly 
have time to write about them. The next and last will review 
our travels and give present conclusions. 



LETTER L. 

Paris, Tuesday^ November 2'jih, 1894. 

Now that our trip abroad is so near its end, that nothing 
remains to complete it but to finish up afew minor things, and to 
make the long journey home, it is but natural that we look back 
over it all, and see the perfections and the faults. 

As the full benefits and experience are not derived until they 
are shared by all who can have them, it is only fair that the 
final of the story of our travels be made up of the conclusions 
that we draw from them. 

If the story has been of use and of interest to relatives and 
friends, it is only reasonable to decide that a review will be the 
same. 

The South of England during the last half of May, and the 
month of June, the month of roses, is simply perfection. How 
beautiful it looks to me now, even as I see it six months away. 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 455. 

The roses, the hedges, the rhododendrons, and the hawthorn 
for color, and the nightingale for twilight music; the perfume 
of the flowers, and of the hay and blossoming fruit; the perfec- 
tion of the coloring of the landscape, and its entire lack of 
ever3'thing at all times to break the symmetry of beauty, all go 
to make England far superior to any land that we have seen, 
for serene beauty. As we look back at our doings in England, 
we don't see anything that it were better to have left undone. 

Our stay in the New Forest would have been improved by 
increasing it a day or two, and by investigating other historical 
things. The same can be said of the Isle of Wight, which we 
think of as the flower-bed of the Channel. 

Had our sailing been the loth instead of the 23d of May, 
greater perfection would have been experienced in the South of 
England, if that is possible. 

Our stay in London was entirely seasonable, but too short. 
It would have been made all right, if we had carried out the 
plan then intended. It was changed, -however, as you will soon 
see. 

I don't know what to say about Wales, the home of the in- 
numerable Williams. We were happy there, and remember the 
little country very kindly, but it ofl^ers nothing of special use 
and interest to the tourist, not to be had with ease and comfort 
in England. Its mountains and valleys are different, and more 
rugged, but the ruins are of the same kind of the many in Eng- 
land and Scotland, and its history and that of England are quite 
the same. We remember with much interest and pleasure the 
Interesting ruins, Conway and Carnarvon Castles, and our happy 
stay in Bala and Bettysycoed, yet to be fair with you, there is 
not sufficient for us to advise your going to Wales. We will 
let you decide, if you can, from what we have said. 

Ireland, in the opinion of the writer, does not pay. The 
round towers, tl i cheerless landscape, and the beggars, don't 
return interest enough to make up for the poor accommoda- 
tions and discomfort. The weird beauty of the lakes of Killar- 
ney is over-estimated, and the scowling unhappy people are not 
agreeable. 

Happiness and comfort are not to be experienced in a country 



45^ EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

which is depopulating, and where the indolence of the people 
prevent thrift and comfort. All that we have for our travel 
and expense, and rainy days spent in Ireland, is what I have 
written, and to say, " We were in Ireland." They are not 
enough. We learned but little, and have unpleasant recollec- 
tions. Though I tried thoroughly, I failed to prove that clover 
is shamrock, or not shamrock, and that shamrock is clover, or 
not clover. 

Instead of going from Holyhead across the Irish Sea, we 
would have been quite as well off if we had returned from 
Wales into England, and added to the time spent there that 
which we used in Ireland. 

Now more about England : — In no country, where we have 
been, have we been more interested, or have we enjoyed our- 
selves more than in England, nor have we been among any 
people who are as polite or agreeable. Yet, with the addition 
of this quality of politeness, I see the English character exactly 
as it has always seemed to me. 

The English are not lovers of our country, save as they can 
use it to make money. They fear the growth of our country in 
wealth, and its competition in the markets of the world. They 
wined and dined Wilson, because he is a free-trader, and in his 
speech he told them that the object of the free-traders is to 
reduce the cost of the American manufactures, until the world 
would be America's market. It was a terrible thrust, and I 
wonder if he is such an ass as not to know it. 

England as regards American politics, is between the devil 
and the deep sea. Protection keeps their goods out of the 
country, and free-trade will distribute American goods over the 
world. It is a hard case, and does not tend to increase English 
friendship. 

The English are strong people physically and mentally, and 
they are intelligent, but they are homely people ; I think as 
homely as any in Europe. The men are tall, but not shapely, 
and the women tall, square-shouldered, and not smooth- 
featured. They carry their parasols, when not hoisted, by the 
middle, as do the men their canes, and they step off with long 
strides, bold and erect, like banner carriers. Beside these 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 457 

things they wear shirt waists, and sailor hats morning, noon, 
and night ; in the Parks of London, on the ships on the Irish 
Sea, on the boats of the Irish, English, Scotch, Swiss;, and 
Italian lakes, among the Alps, and in the ruins oi Rome, 
among the walls of Pompeii, at breakfast, and at dinner tab!e- 
d'hote, have we had the shirt waists. Oh ! dear ! dear ! 

The English literature, which floods the world, English his- 
tory, which all are more or less familiar with, and English 
legends which are as nursery rhymes, make the ruins of Eng- 
land most interesting. Add to these the beauty which comes 
from age, and most perfect cultivation, in which beauty is much 
considered, the perfect order which prevails, ease of travel, and 
the civility with which you meet, and you have the reasons for 
the writer's pleasure in England. 

The story of Scotland is told, and the world knows it. It is 
complimentary and correct. It is noi: overtold, but is all con- 
firmed by time spent in the country. We did Scotland quite 
well, and are highly satisfied with the experience. Some little 
improvements perhaps could be made on our way, for instance, 
to stop at Aberdeen, when going from Inverness to Stirling, 
and to use a couple of days would be well, and from Edinburgh 
explore a ruin or two which we failed to see. Scotland is all 
right in every way, except, as I have written, the Highland 
costume and bagpipes. Put Caledonia on your list, and give it 
plenty of time. 

We changed our plan at Edinburgh. It was our intention to 
return from there to London, stopping on the way at one or two 
places in the east side of England, but instead we went across 
the German Ocean to Amsterdam. This deprived us of time 
in London, which we expected to have when we left there the 
last of June. We doubt if we improved our plan any, and will 
not recommend friends to follow us in that. In fact, I don't 
recommend Holland or Belgium as affording much pleasure or 
u-se. 

To me they are almost devoid of interest. They have no 
scenery. They have industries, of course, and galleries and 
museums, and there are the customs of the people, but I don't 
think the return repays the time and money that can be so much 



458 EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 

more, interestedly and profitably spent in other countries. 
Knowing what we do now, we would return from Edinburgh to 
London, and thence go to Paris. Leave the baggage in Paris 
and thence go to Switzerland. "Leave baggage, you say?" 
Oh, yes, leave baggage and travel as light as possible on the 
Continent. Do the English act, and carry your " luggage " in- 
to the " carriage " with you ; pile it on the floor, in the racks, 
and on the seats, and have it in other people's way, but you 
must do it. Trunks are weighed, and in many places they 
charge like fury for every pound. Don't take trunks beyond 
Paris. Besides you don't need many clothes. 

You ought to have seen us, when — well, I was saying — go 
from Paris to Geneva and work Switzerland. Get there a little 
earlier than we did, so that the nights won't be quite so cold, 
but then you won't have the autumn foliage that we had, and 
there will be many more people, which is a disadvantage I 
think. 

Switzerland ! Switzerland ! The Alps, the Glaciers, the 
roaring, tumbling rivers, the springs, the cascades, the mighty 
precipices, the magnificent valleys, and the awe-inspiring 
gorges ! Lovely, enchanting, enrapturing Switzerland. A 
country with nice, satisfied, industrious people, in which accom- 
modations are good, and very moderate in cost. 

If I had time and strength to climb every mountain, and to 
walk every valley in Switzerland, I would not be surprised if I 
did it. But Switzerland, and its things of interest cannot be 
seen from the decks of boats, which float on its incomparable 
lakes, or from the windows of cars. To do Switzerland right, 
Alps must be climbed to glaciers, and glaciers climbed and 
walked on. There is but one way to see and appreciate the 
indescribable magnificence of the Gorner Grat, and that is by 
almost superhuman effort. But how well it pays, and how few 
of the thousands, who glibly talk of the Alps and Glaciers, do 
it ! Thousands climb the Alps, and cross glaciers on steam- 
boats, and in cars, but few do it on foot. 

Switzerland, with me, is a theme inexhaustible. I would not 
be surprised to find that I am a little soft on Switzerland. 

From Switzerland go down the Rhine. We went up, because 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 459 

we were going the other way, but either way is all right. The 
Rhine is all right, too, but there are other beautiful rivers in the 
world, some in America. Go from the Rhine farther into Ger- 
many than we did, and do more of the " Faderland." Go to 
Dresden, Munich, and Berlin. 

The Germans are not pleasant people ; they have no manners, 
but they are good cooks. German cooking is famous, but I 
don't like the Rhine wine. It makes me more stupid than is 
natural, and that is superfluous. 

The Germans are a great people and a great nation, but they 
will have to fight the French again, some time, and the impres- 
sion prevails in some quarters, that they will get most unmercifully 
walloped. The Emperor's course in Alsace and Lorraine is 
not helping things toward permanent peace at all. 

Go to Austria, where we did not go at all, and thence to Italy. 
All you will care for in Italy are the galleries, history, and the 
antiquities. Well, of course, you maybe interested in the funny 
old towns, stuck up on the top of high hills, and in the street 
scenes of Naples, and in the people and hills of Rome. I for- 
got about them, and St. Peter's, and the Vatican. Then, too, 
there is Venice, and its things, and Milan and the cathedral, 
and of course Florence, which the whole world wants to see. 
But the art and antiquities — how interesting and inexhaustible 
they are ! 

Strange, is it not ? but it is so, nevertheless, that the growth 
of the world has, for more than two thousand years, been more 
influenced and controlled from Italy than from any other coun- 
try, and so it is to-day. Yes, it is a fact, Italy cuts more of a 
figure in the affairs of the world to-day than any other country, 
and it has for more than two thousand years, uninterruptedly. 

Italy should be allowed plenty of time, for no matter how much 
is assigned, it will not be enough. We had two weeks in Rome, 
and though we worked like nailers, it was not half enough. Don't 
drink the red wine of Italy ; much of it is not pure, and a great 
many people cannot digest it. The water is not very good either. 
You must go. thirsty. The wine made me sick, and I did not 
drink much of it either, and it was watered like the Italians and 
French drink wine. But I was quite sick, went to a doctor. 



4^ EUROPE FROM MAY JQ, DECEMBER. 

asd felt half dead for days, and lived on brea4 aM milk aad 
got well My partner was glad I got well,, %% le^aM that I did not 
continue as I was, and she had cause to be gla4. Indig€stl<?;Q ! 
cause, Italian wine ! 

From Italy to Paris, more time thaij >s^e spent CiSfcn be vag^st 
agreeably spent along the Mediterranean.. I think every mile 
of the thousand from Rome to Paris, by way of the Riviera, i^ 
intere'sting, and there are muany places where it would be most 
lovely to stay during late autunjn and winter. I have been 
writing you so recently about Paris, that I will pass it in 
this. 

Wednesday, November 28th :— There i^: not m-«jch mor^ to 
write. The story is complete, and the review is long enough, 

Saturday, the ist, we go to London, arriving there in the even- 
ingj and Friday, the 7th, we leavg there for Antwerp aijd our 
steamer. Saturday, the 8th, at nin^ 4.. ¥• we l^v^ Antwe^g 
for New York and home, where, if all goes well, we will be just 
seven months from the time of our departure. 

It is but natural that a tour like the one which is, closing 
should be a special event in the lives of plain people ; a kind of 
era, with which the past closed, and. a new fiiture opened^ heqce, 
if we are heard to mark events with our time abroad, we beg 
that it will be charitably overlooked. 

To desire to visit the Old World from motives of use is laud* 
able and proper. With the desire and thought of possibly doing 
it, many practical questions will come up, which caja better be 
answered from experience thaji from any otl^r way* 

As the writer has made a close study, aad kept njuch dat^, 
covering all practical questions pertaining to travel, and sight- 
seeing in Great Britain, and on the Continent, which niay be of 
use to others, he will take pleasure iji imparting the information 
to any friend who may be interested. 

A word of warning may be timely here. Don't think of a tour 
of Europe for the benefit of the knowledge and use to be derived, 
and to be a thing of ease, though your arrangements will adn>it 
of your going as slowly as we have. To obtain the benefit, the 
work is diversified and unlimited. Even: with the assistance of 
my faithful and un^tiring partner, my busy life does not rpa^fk an 



EUROPE FROM MAY TO DECEMBER. 4^1 

epoch of as close occupation as that since the ist of June 

last. 

And now, our dear relatives and friends, who have followed 
us with your thoughts and kind wishes so faithfully, we give you 
our thanks and love. 



THE END. 



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